Boards
Supported RK3588 single-board computers, with notes on each.
IRLEncoder targets the Rockchip RK3588 family.
The list
| Board | RAM (recommended) | Indicative price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Radxa Rock 5B+ | 4 GB | $99 | Recommended. Official image. |
| Radxa Rock 5A | 4 GB | $99 | RK3588, no official image yet. |
| Orange Pi 5 Plus | 4 GB | $90 | Official image. |
| Radxa Rock 5B | 4 GB | $129 | RK3588, no official image yet. |
| Banana Pi BPI-W3 | 8 GB | $162 | RK3588, no official image yet. |
The 4 GB version of any board is enough memory. There is no advantage to buying the 8 GB or 16 GB variant.
Why the Rock 5B+ is recommended
Every other board on the list shares one weakness: routing the HDMI cable near a 4G or 5G modem causes radio interference that makes the HDMI capture fail. You see frame drops, freeze, or no signal at all. The Rock 5B+ appears to have largely solved this. If you are unsure which board to buy, the Rock 5B+ is the safe pick.
Why RK3588 over Jetson Nano
- Integrated HDMI capture port. No USB capture card required.
- 4K60 support. The Jetson Nano caps at 4K30.
- Lower hardware cost. Lower power usage.
The Jetson Nano's H.265 encoder scores slightly higher on objective video quality benchmarks, but the practical difference at typical IRL bitrates is not visible.
Sourcing
Buy from the manufacturer or any of the usual electronics distributors. We do not recommend a specific reseller.
Hardware notes and the RF interference observations on this page draw on belabox.net/rk3588. Credit to the BELABOX project for the original write-up.