Overview
This page provides information about Dune HD STBs based on the latest Sigma
Designs SMP8756 and SMP8758 chipsets:
- Dune HD TV-204: based on SMP8756.
- Dune HD TV-203: a new revision of TV-204 in a new case.
- Dune HD TV-205: based on SMP8758.
- Dune HD TV-206: TV-205 with SATA HDD option.
- Dune HD Solo 4K: retail version of TV-206 (with SATA HDD option).
- Dune HD Solo Lite: a lite version of Solo 4K (w/o SATA HDD option).
Key features
The new Dune HD STB models bring the following new key features:
- HEVC (H.265) video decoding.
- TV-204/TV-203 (SMP8756) supports HEVC for up to FullHD resolution (Level 4.1).
- TV-205/TV-206 (SMP8758) supports HEVC for up to 4Kp30 resolution (Level 5).
- 10-bit encoding is supported (Main 10 Profile).
- High performance ARM CPU core.
- Cortext A9 (ARMv7a architecture).
- TV-204/TV-203 (SMP8756): single-core 1GHz (64KB L1 cache, 256KB L2 cache).
- CPU performance: 2500 DMIPS.
- Total performance (CPU + IPU + XPU): 3780 DMIPS.
- TV-205/TV-206 (SMP8758): dual-core 1.2 GMHz (64KB L1 cache, 512KB L2 cache).
- CPU performance: 6000 DMIPS.
- Total performance (CPU + IPU + XPU): 7280 DMIPS.
- Built-in NEON technology (SIMD instruction set for ultra-fast handling
of multimedia data on CPU).
- High performance 2D and 3D graphics based on MALI GPU.
- TV-204/TV-203 (SMP8756): 700 Mpix/s, 9.5 GFlops.
- TV-205/TV-206 (SMP8758): 1400 Mpix/s, 20 GFlops
- OpenGL ES 2.0 support.
- MPEG-DASH adaptive streaming protocol support.
- Both Live and VOD stream types are supported.
- Support for 512MB and 1GB RAM configurations.
- 1GB RAM configuration can be useful for heavyweight applications.
- 512GB RAM configuration is still available and is appropriate in many
cases.
- Updated Linux software version.
- The following new versions of Linux software components are used by
default, bringing the corresponding improvements and new features.
- Linux kernel 3.4.39.13.
- GCC 4.8.1.
- GLIBC 2.18.
- Optional Android 4.4 (KitKat) support.
- Requires hardware configuration with built-in 4GB+ eMMC flash.
HEVC video decoding
The following video resolutions for HEVC are supported:
- TV-204/TV-203 (SMP8756): up to FullHD resolution.
- TV-205/TV-206 (SMP8758): up to 4Kp30 resolution.
The following HEVC Profiles and Levels are supported:
- TV-204/TV-203 (SMP8756):
- Main Profile @ Level 4.1
- Main 10 Profile @ Level 4.1
- TV-205/TV-206 (SMP8758):
- Main Profile @ Level 5
- Main 10 Profile @ Level 5
HEVC is supported for the following file formats and streaming protocols:
- File formats:
- MPEG-TS container
- MP4/MOV container
- MKV container
- Raw video files
- Streaming protocols:
- Multicast raw-UDP and RTP-over-UDP
- HLS
- MPEG-DASH
- DVB tuner
4K video decoding
TV-204/TV-203:
- SMP8756 does not have official support for 4K decoding at all (the SoC
power is not enough to properly handle this).
TV-205/TV-206:
- Guaranteed:
- HEVC up to 4Kp30.
- Depends on the way the content is encoded:
- HEVC up to 4Kp60.
- H.264 up to 4Kp30.
4K output
TV-205/TV-206 supports output of up to 4Kp30 (limitation of HDMI 1.4).
MPEG-DASH adaptive streaming
The following features of MPEG-DASH are supported:
- MPEG-DASH interoperability point: DASH264/AVC.
- Container format: ISO base media file format (MP4).
- Video codecs: H.264, H.265 (HEVC).
- Audio codecs: MPEG AAC.
- Video and audio delivered as independent (not muxed) streams.
- Live and VOD stream types.
- Static and dynamic manifests.
- Media segment locations: SingleMediaSegment, SegmentList, SegmentTemplate.
The following features are not supported yet:
- Multiple audio streams.
- Subtitles.
MPEG-DASH media URLs are recognized automatically -- by the presence of
".mpd" string in HTTP URL. "|||dune_params|||protocol:dash" spec can also
be used in other cases.
Software and SDK status
Most regular software and SDK features which were available for the
previous Dune HD STB models (such as Dune HD TV-102) are available for
SMP875xx based STB models. This includes, in particular:
- Native Dune GUI.
- All standard functions of the native Dune GUI are supported, including
main menu, setup menu, setup wizard, file browser, media player, etc.
- HTML browser.
- The following HTML browser engines are available:
- QtWebkit48 (default one)
- Ekioh TV browser
- Dune JS STB API.
- Most API functions are available.
- HTML plugins.
- Supported with QtWebkit48.
- Booting to HTML app ("stb home" mechanism).
- Supported with both QtWebkit48 and Ekioh TV browser.
- PHP plugins.
- All features of Dune plugins framework are supported.
- Various media file formats.
- Mostly the same as in previous Dune HD STB models (plus HEVC and 4K
support).
- Various media streaming protocols.
- Mostly the same as in previous Dune HD STB models (plus MPEG-DASH
support).
- Audio tracks, subtitles, EPG.
- Mostly the same as in previous Dune HD STB models.
- Various networking functions.
- Mostly the same as in previous Dune HD STB models.
- Includes support for: Ethernet, PPPoE, Wi-Fi client, Wi-Fi access
point, DHCP and manual configuration, etc.
- UPnP/DLNA client.
- Various firmware update methods.
- Mostly the same as in previous Dune HD STB models.
- DRMs for HLS streams:
- AES-generic DRM.
- Verimatrix Web DRM.
- Network PVR and network Pause Live TV functions (e.g. for HLS streams).
- TR-069.
Planned software / SDK features
The following software / SDK features are not currently supported for
SMP875x based STB models, but may be potentially implemented in future:
- Verimatrix IPTV DRM (for multicast).
- Local PVR and Local Pause Live TV functions.
- Ekioh SVG browser engine (for Beesmart middleware).
- Opera HTML browser engine (and thus HTML5, CE-HTML and HbbTV).
- VXP-based adaptive deinterlacing for SMP8756-based models (already
available for SMP8758-based models).
- Picture-in-Picture.
- Closed captions (CC) subtitles.
- HDMI CEC.
- Native GUI SDK (for native DirectFB/Qt-based C/C++ apps).
- Dune Firmware Build service.
The roadmap for the development of these features is to be decided based on
the needs of Dune HD partners and customers and based on particular
projects. If you need either of this, please contact your Dune HD contacts
to check if the required feature may be implemented for a particular
project.
Upgrading from very old firmware versions
If you have firmware version older than 150410_b9b4, a special care is
needed to properly update the STB to a new firmware version. Please
generate a debug dump file on your STB, send it to your Dune HD technical
support contacts and ask for instructions.
To see the currently installed firmware version, see "Setup / Information"
menu in the standard Dune GUI, or see "/tmp/sysinfo.txt" file in telnet
session to the STB.
To generate a debug dump file, attach a USB flash drive, navigate into it
in the standard Dune GUI, and press REW ("<<") RC button 3 times.