SolidRun’s CuBox line of tiny desktop computers are cubes that measure just 2 inches across. But the little boxes sport Ethernet jacks, optical audio output, 2 USB ports and a micro USB port.

They also feature microSD cards for storage, dual or quad-core ARM-based processors, and up to 2GB of RAM. You can use them as tiny desktop computers, media centers, or file servers. Now SolidRun is taking orders for a new model that’s designed specifically for media center use.

It’s called the CuBoxTV, and you can pre-order one for $100.

The CuBoxTV features a Freescale i.MX6 quad-core processor with Vivante GC2000 graphics, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, Gigabit Ethernet, HDMI output, S/PDIF output, and an infrared receiver.

CuboxTV specifications:

• SoC – Freescale i.MX6 Quad with four Cortex A9 core up to 1GHz, and Vivante GC2000 3D GPU
• System Memory – 1GB SDRAM @ 1066 MHz
• Storage – 8GB internal storage + micro SD interface
• Video Output – HDMI 1.4b, 3D support
• Video Decoders – MPEG-4 ASP, XVID, H.264 HP, H.263, MPEG-2 MP, MJPEG BP, VP8, Sorenson-H263.
• Video Encoders –  MPEG-4 SP, H.264 BP, H.263, MJPEG BP
• Image Codecs – JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG.
• Audio Decoders – AAC, AACPlus, MP3, Vorbis, FLAC, audio encoder SBC, MP3, speech codecs G.723.1, G.726, G.711, G.729AB, NB/WB AMR.
• Audio Encoders – SBC, MP3.
• Speech Codecs – G.723.1, G.726, G.711, G.729AB,NB/WB AMR.
• Audio Output – HDMI, optical S/PDIF
• Connectivity – Gigabit Ethernet (Limited to 470 Mbps)
• USB – 2x USB 2.0 host port
• Misc – IR receiver
• Power – 5V/3A
• Dimensions – 5.08 x 5.08 x 5.08 cm

What makes this model special though, is that it comes with OpenElec pre-loaded.

That’s a light-weigh, open source Linux-based operating system designed to run the XBMC media center app (soon to be known as Kodi).

Sure, you could just run Android on a CuBox and install the XBMC app for Android. But OpenElec boots straight into the media center interface and uses just about 100MB of disc space for the entire operating system.

Source: Liliputing and CNXSoft