Hardkernel has released a media player bundle of its Odroid-N2 SBC loaded with CoreELEC, an Amlogic-optimized fork of LibreELEC. The CoreELEC Edition costs $65 (2GB RAM) or $75 (4GB) with case, PSU, and 8GB microSD card.

Hardkernel has launched an Odroid-N2 CoreELEC Edition that combines the open-spec, community backed Odroid-N2 SBC with CoreELEC — a Linux distribution that showcases the Kodi media center stack. Like OpenELEC, CoreELEC is a fork of the Kodi-oriented LibreELEC distribution, in this case optimized for Amlogic processors such as the Odroid-N2’s hexa-core Amlogic S922X SoC.

Odroid-N2 CoreELEC Edition
(click images to enlarge)

The Odroid-N2 CoreELEC Edition sells for a limited-time discount of $65 (2GB RAM) or $75 (4GB). The bundle combines the Odroid-N2 with heatsink with the typically optional, $4 black case and $5.50 12V/2A power supply with choice of plug. There’s also an 8GB microSD UHS-1 card (typically about $5) loaded with the “Just enough OS” CoreELEC distro with Kodi Leia, optimized for the Odroid-N2. This is a good deal compared with loading the $60/$70 SBC with these peripherals on your own.

The Odroid-N2 CoreELEC Edition, which we saw today on CNXSoft, is “the only Linux Kodi Leia device that outputs correct 4K HDR Infoframe data,” claims Hardkernel. The system supports 4K HDR10 and HLG, as well as auto frame rate switching, dynamic range matching, and 4:2:2 Chroma output.

CoreELEC Edition is touted for its passthrough feature, which supports the latest audio formats including DTS:X and Dolby Atmos. The platform’s Widevine DRM implementation enables smooth Netflix playback at full HD, and there’s support for 3D-SBS and 3D-TAB 3D videos, says Hardkernel. There’s also EmuELEC support for PSP and DreamCast emulation for retro-gaming and support for a wide range of USB DVB receivers for recording free-to-air TV.

Odroid-N2 with heatsink (left) and within black case
(click images to enlarge)

The Odroid-N2 is arguably the most significant SBC launch of the first half of 2019. The N2 features a speedy new hexa-core Amlogic S922X with 4x Cortex-A73 cores at up to 1.8GHz and 2x -A53 at up to 1.9GHz. There’s also a high-end Mali-G52 GPU.

The 90 x 90 x 17mm SBC has a GbE port and optional USB WiFi adapter that fits into one of the 4x USB 3.0 host ports. You also get a micro-USB OTG, composite A/V, and an HDMI 2.0 port with [email protected] HDR, CEC, and EDID support.

The Odroid-N2 is further equipped with an RPi-like 40-pin header plus plus RTC, IR, and console interfaces. There’s also a 7.5-20V DC input and a heavy-duty passive heatsink. Options include SPDIF, the case, and a cooling fan. The standard version is available with Android 9 Pie and Ubuntu 18.04 LTS with Linux 4.9.162 LTS.

 
Further information

The Odroid-N2 CoreELEC Edition is available for a limited-time discount of $65 (2GB RAM) or $75 (4GB), eventually moving to $80.50 and $96.50, respectively. More information may be found on Hardkernel’s CoreELEC Edition 2GB and CoreELEC Edition 4GB shopping pages.

The Odroid-N2 on its own has dropped in price slightly since launch, with currently discounted prices of $60 (2GB) and $70 (4GB) without the options available on the CoreELEC Edition. Quantity discounts are available for both the standard and CoreELEC models.