TELE-satellite-1209

TELE
The World’s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine
since 1981
3DTV
HDTV
IP/Web
satellite
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
B 9318 E

09-102012
Test Report Test Report
GLOBALINVACOM SPAUN
Ivan Horrocks Surprises With A Modulator to
Stacker Technology in Create Your Own
Fibre Optic System TV System
Test Report
LEXIUM Test Report
Robby Dosetareh Helps Installers
With his Sophisticated New
DEVISER
An Amazing New
Professional Meter Top-notch
Handheld Meter
Company Report
DMS
Tim Heinrichs is
America’s Busiest
Satellite Enthusiast
Company Report
TOPSIGNAL
Zongbao King Went From
Motors to Dishes and LNBs

Test Report
AZBox miniMe 09-10/2012

The BIG MINI Receiver
www.TELE-satellite.com

TELE-satellite
International
t
The World’s Larges
zine
Dig ital TV Trade Maga

since 1981

Alexander Wiese
Publisher

.com
alex@TELE-satellite
y
HQ in Munich, German

Dear Readers,
More and more receivers operate with an Internet connection long that I easily lose the overview. And that’s the problem: I should
and offer users an enormous assortment of TV channels that are be able to choose a TV channel based on its name alone. But this
available via the worldwide Internet. It could be streaming channels is simply not enough information. There are many channels that
such as with a regular TV broadcaster or video files that would first have selected very peculiar names. How am I supposed to know,
need to be downloaded. The choices are becoming more and more for example, that Press TV isn’t a journalism channel but rather a
limitless. The selection of the transmission path is actually a way to news channel from Iran? And how many Tele5 and TV 5 channels
limit these choices. are there that appear in a channel list after as scan? Which one
should I choose?
Of all the different technical variants, terrestrial TV transmissions
in most regions offer the least amount of TV channels. A step up As a user I think receivers should provide another bit of information
in the number of available channels would be cable TV and even for each channel that would help me make a decision. And that
better would be TV via satellite. But far larger are the number of TV would be the picture quality which would be expressed in the bitrate.
channels that can be received via the Internet, but there’s no way to Ever since I’ve had an HD television, I’ve wanted to be able to use
actually confirm how many there really are. All too often one Web/ it exactly for that purpose, and that is to watch TV channels in high
IP-TV provider starts up service while another stops service making technical quality. For that reason my current criteria out of all the
it difficult to count the number of channels. channels that are available is to search for only those channels that
carry the two letters ‘HD’. That reduces the choices significantly but
If you take a closer look at the TV channels that you can receive it’s not cut and dry. Quite a few SD channels also broadcast in good
with the different methods, an interesting picture begins to develop. technical quality.
With terrestrial TV the number of available channels might be small,
but they’d mostly be channels that viewers would want to see. Not What’s missing for me is an indication of the bitrate for each
only that, these channels would naturally offer programming of local channel in the receiver’s channel list. Then I would be able to sort
interest. the channels based on bitrate and would only surf between the first
100 channels. For those TV channels that don’t put any value on the
The channels available via cable TV fulfill similar criteria; they are quality of their picture, I in return wouldn’t put any value on those
also mostly channels liked by the viewers attached to the cable channels. Exceptions prove the rule.
network. The plight of the cable TV viewer, that usually doesn’t have
any other way of receiving TV, is that they are typically exploited by So this is my wish for the scan function of a receiver: the bitrate
the cable provider in that they fill up their channel space with far too should also be measured during a scan and sorting based on bitrate
many useless channels such as shopping channels. should also be possible. That’s what I’d like to see.

The satellite viewer has the best selection but they often have to do
without channels that deal with local news and events. The selection
of channels is so large that choosing a channel to watch becomes
a tiresome task. Even more gigantic is the choice with Web/IP-TV;
here there’s absolutely no organization at all.

On what criteria should you base your decision on? The list of
channels that every receiver presents after a scan has become so Alexander Wiese
Editor-in-Chief TELE-satellite International

TELE
satellite
Address
TELE-satellite International, PO Box 1234, 85766 Munich-Ufg, GERMANY/EUROPE
Editor-in-Chief
Alexander Wiese, alex@TELE-satellite.com
Published by
TELE-satellite Medien GmbH, Aschheimer Weg 19, 85774 Unterfoehring, GERMANY/EUROPE
Design
Németi Barna Attila
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Copyright © 2012 by TELE-satellite ISSN 1435-7003
TELE-satellite was established in 1981 and today is the oldest, largest and most-read digital tv trade
magazine in the world. TELE-satellite is seen by more than 350,000 digital tv professionals around the
world and is available both in printed form and online.
www.TELE-satellite.com

CONTENT

AZBox miniMe
Miniature HDTV Linux Receiver with ...172
Multimedia Features................... 16

DEVISER
DS2400T
Professional Meter
for DVB-T, DVB-C
and CATV.......... 36
...186

GlobalInvacom
Loss-less Distribution for
Satellite Signals.............. 54

...200

SPAUN
VAM 420
NG PAL
High Quality Analogue Modulator........... 66

LEXIUM ...228
FastAlign 5110Pro
Professional Digital ...242

Satellite Meter..................... 74

Feature:
The Wonderful World of Spark
Part 4: Web-TV.................................... 88

Feature:
AZBox ME Receiver Software Feature: DXer Report:
Part 3: Plugin Installation..................... 98 Latest Technologies Came To Life at: Satellite DXer Oscar Campos,
CommunicAsia Exhibition 2012............ 172 Santiago de Chile.............................. 250
AWARD Winning:
Digital Receivers of 21st Century......... 108 Company Report: Satellite DXer Overview:
Satellite Wholesaler and Meter Hall of Fame of Satellite
AWARD Winning: Manufacturer DMS, USA..................... 186 Enthusiasts of the World..................... 258
HDTV PC Cards of 21st Century........... 118
Company Report: Technical Service:
AWARD Winning: Original Equipment Manufacturer Digital TV Transponder Streams
Signal Analyzers of 21st Century......... 122 Topsignal, China................................ 200 around the World............................... 266

AWARD Winning: Company Overview: DTT of the World............................ 302
IPTV/WebTV Receivers Best Digital TV Companies
of 21st Century.............................. 134 of the World................................... 216 TELE-satellite History:
TELE-satellite in 1982..................... 308
Vitor’s Workshop: Company Report:
Selfmade Dish: Lego Antenna............. 140 Satellite Installer Nivaldo da Silva, TELE-satellite History:
São Paulo, Brazil............................... 228 TELE-satellite in 1992..................... 310
Feature:
Wavelengths & Connector Types.......... 150 Uplink Overview: TELE-satellite History:
TELE-satellite’s Best Satellite TELE-satellite in 2002..................... 312
Feature: Uplink Earth Stations...................... 236
Special Transmission Modes................ 156 Satellites of the World................. 316
Company Report:
Digital Technology: TV Programm Provider Global Readership of
New Developments............................ 166 ICN, USA.......................................... 242 TELE-satellite Magazine.................. 320

8 TELE-satellite International — The World‘s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine — 09-10/2012 — www.TELE-satellite.com

ADVERTISER‘S INDEX

8DTEK..................................... China......................... 69 IBC2012.................................. UK.............................163
ALUOSAT................................. China.....81, 117, 133, 139 INTERBEE2012........................ Japan........................147
AMIKO..................................... Hungary..................... 41 JIUZHOU................................. China........................324
ANTIFERENCE......................... UK.............................231 JONSA..................................... Taiwan......................233
APPLIED INSTRUMENTS......... USA...........................203 KARMACOM............................. Hungary..................... 41
AZBOX..................................... Portugal....................323 KWS........................................ Germany...................181
AZURESHINE........................... Taiwan....................... 25 LEXIUM................................... USA...........................213
BAOTONG................................ China......................... 57 MFC......................................... USA...........................233
BEIJINGTOPREAL.................... China........................143 MICO....................................... China........................... 2
BOIINGSAT............................. China......................... 73 MOTECK.................................. Taiwan......................185
BSD......................................... Brazil........................257 NABSHOW2013....................... USA...........................159
BT........................................... UK.............................241 OIPF........................................ Sweden.....................265
CABSAT2013........................... Dubai........................161 OPENSAT................................. Portugal....................323
CASTOR................................... Netherlands............. 239 PANODIC................................. China........................... 2
CCBN2013............................... China........................177 PREVAIL.................................. China..................... 14-15
CES2013.................................. USA....................149, 171 SATBEAMS............................... Belgium....................213
CHANGHONG........................... China........................... 9 SATCATCHER........................... UK.............................. 19
CHINABROADCASTING........... China........................257 SATELLITEGUYS...................... USA...........................255
CHINASATELLITE2012............ China........................155 SATSON................................... Belgium..................... 29
CNBROADCASTING................. China........................257 SBTVD..................................... Brazil........................265
CSTB2013................................ Russia.......................165 SCATINDIA2012...................... India.........................153
DEVISER................................. China.................. 91, 189 SEN5....................................... China......................... 69
DEKTEC................................... Netherlands..............101 SICHUANJIUZHOU.................. China........................324
DEXING................................... China......................... 83 SICHUANVIDEOELECTRONIC.... China......................... 65
DIGITALTELEMEDIA................ China........................324 SKYWORTH............................. China......................... 11
DISHPOINTER......................... UK.............................203 SMARTWI................................ Denmark.................... 79
DVBCN.................................... China........................197 SOWELL.................................. China......................... 47
FTATV...................................... Argentina..................195 SPAUN..................................... Germ.....185, 195, 231, 255
FULANELECTRONICS............... China........................... 5 SPAUN ELECTRONIC..................Germany.......................51
GLOBALINVACOM.................... UK.............................. 87 SVEC....................................... China......................... 65
GOOSAT.................................. China......................... 53 TEHNICB................................. Romania...................197
GOLDENMEDIA........................ Germany.................... 61 TENOW.................................... China........................189
HANGZHOUPREVAIL............... China..................... 14-15 TEVII...................................... Taiwan......................181
HISILICON.............................. China........................... 4 TOPREAL................................. China........................143
HORIZON................................ UK.............................. 95 WSINTERNATIONAL................ USA...........................213


02-03/2012
AZBox ME
Today‘s absolute
best Linux Receiver

www.TELE-satellite.com/12/03/azbox-me

10-1
1/201
1
Tenow TBS6984
Made for TV addicts who can never
watch and record enough channels.

www.TELE-satellite.com/11/11/tenow


MAGAZINE

08-09/2009
Global Invacom Optical LNB
The first worldwide optical satellite
reception and transmission system

www.TELE-satellite.com/09/09/globalinvacom

06-07-08/2012
AMIKO ALIEN 2
Unbeatable combination of features and
function – for excellent viewing pleasure!

www.TELE-satellite.com/12/07/amiko

www.TELE-satellite.com — 09-10/2012 — TELE-satellite International — 全球发行量最大的数字电视杂志 13

TEST REPORT Miniature HDTV Linux Receiver

AZBox
miniMe


• can be started with two different flash versions
• excellent integration in existing home network
• remote control compatible with AZBox ME –
both receivers can be operated with the same
remote
• blind scan function as special treat for DXers
• easy-to-use and intuitive on-screen menu


TEST REPORT Miniature HDTV Linux Receiver

Ever since we first test-
ed the AZBox ME in TELE-
satellite 02-03/2012 we
simply cannot take our
eyes off this receiver. The
latest variant arrived at
our test center in an unu-
sually small box and car-
ries the fitting name AZ-
Box miniMe.

The AZBox miniMe sports
a stylish ‘set-top box design’,
which means it comes with
an unobtrusive back plastic
casing which will make it a
suitable addition to all your
existing home entertainment
gear.
We were particularly taken
to the slightly inclined side
panels and the interest-
ing design of the ventilation
openings on the top side. In
contrast to those unusual
characteristics, the front
panel looks rather conven- ■ Read Test Report of the AZBox miniMe's big sister AZBox ME in TELE-satellite 02-03/2012
tional and comes with a but- www.TELE-satellite.com/12/03/azbox-me
ton on the left to switch on
the receiver. The button is used to connect an infrared a surprisingly wide range of surely appreciate this optical
surrounded by an LED that receiver. This way the AZBox connections: digital output in connection
indicates the current operat- miniMe can be hidden out of • LNB-In und LNB-Loop: with a digital amplifier. For
ing mode of the receiver: sight in a cabinet or behind Additional receivers or me- analog processing you might
• lilac: deep standby the TV panel, for example. ters can be hooked up to the require a digital-analog con-
• red: standby If you want to make use of LNB loop-through output. verter (DAC).
• blue: on that option you need to sepa- • S/PDIF: Music lovers and • LAN: An RJ-45 connec-
In addition, there is the rately obtain the IR receiver, home theatre enthusiasts will tion is a must-have feature
‘AZBox miniMe’ model des- since the receiver itself is
ignation in white lettering shipped without it.
and the characteristic Z logo Due its small size the back
in black. Looks really great! panel of AZBox miniMe looks
To the right there is a mini a bit crowded, but that’s only 09-10/2012
phone jack which can be due to the fact that it offers AZBox mini ME
Excellent mini receiver with network
functionality – the perfect fit for any home
network.

www.TELE-satellite.com/12/09/azbox-mini-me

0.57


for Linux-based receivers, as from the mains to fully dis-
it allows access to local serv- connect the receiver, even
ers and the Internet. though we recommend us-
• HDMI: Our preferred ing a switchable power strip
method of connecting any to be on the safe and eco-
digital receiver to a TV pan- nomical side. Obviously, we
el or monitor with a cor- checked power consumption
responding input interface. in deep standby, standby and
Both digital video and audio on modes. Please refer to the
are provided via HDMI. chart at the end of the report
• YPbPr: A mini phone jack for all results.
puts out a component video The internal smartcard
signal using the YPbPr colour reader is located on the left
scheme, which provides bet- side of the AZBox miniMe
ter video quality with higher and by default it is not ac-
resolution than the conven- tive, which means it does not
tional FBAS signal. If you own support any encryption sys-
a video projector without tem known to us. The remote
digital input options you will control is the same that also
certainly be grateful for com- comes with the AZBox ME, so
ponent video. The receiver is we were able to swap the re-
shipped complete with a suit- motes and still operate both
able adapter cable. receivers with any of the two
• Recovery switch: This remote controls.
is a neat feature for recon- The remote sits nicely in
structing the boot loader in your hand and sports an er-
case an unsuccessful flash gonomic design that allows
attempt has damaged the re- reaching all buttons with your
ceiver’s firmware. We’ll deal thumb. What might be con-
with that in more detail a lit- fusing at first is that in addi-
tle later. tion to the usual ring-shaped
• A/V: Another mini phone buttons around the OK but-
jack is available for com- ton there is another set of six
posite video and an audio/ buttons in an outer circle.
video signal. Older TV sets New users might find
can be connected directly or themselves pressing the
with the help of a euroscart EPG button instead of the
adapter, depending on the DOWN button when zapping
available input socket(s) of channels at first, but after a
the TV. Once again, the cor- short while your thumb won’t
responding A/V cable is sup- miss its target. What’s more,
plied, while those requiring we’ve been using the AZBox
a euroscart adapter have to ME quite intensively in recent
obtain one on their own. months so it’s great to know
• Two USB interfaces: we can just stick to the same
You can use those to attach remote.
external hard disks, flash If truth be spoken, it only
memories etc. trickles down after a while
• e-SATA: This connec- how smart the layout of the
tion can be used instead of remote is: As mentioned
the USB ports for connecting above, all buttons can easily
an external hard disk. e-SA- be reached with the thumb
TA supports higher transfer and individual buttons can be
rates than USB. distinguished even without
• 12V/2A socket: Like the looking at them.
AZBox ME the AZBox miniMe The actual high point of
comes with an external pow- the remote control, however,
er supply unit. This reduces is only revealed at second
the heat that is generated sight: If you open the battery
inside the receiver and also compartment you will detect
facilitates mobile use in cara- a small button that activates
vans, for example. a learning function.
There is no mechanical on/ With that you can re-pro-
off switch, but with an exter- gram the right button in the
nal power supply unit this is first row of the remote. By
not really required. You can default it turns on and off the
always plug out the cable TV, but you can change that


to any desired command. In AZBox miniMe AZBox ME
theory you won’t even need
CPU SIGMA processor SMP 8653 SIGMA processor SMP 8655
the TV’s remote control any
FLASH 256 MB 512 MB
longer, which is an absolute
bonus in this day and age of RAM DDR 128 MB DDR 256 MB

multimedia overload. VIDEO DDR 128 MB DDR 256 MB
Apart from the receiv- Tuner Single tuner (DVB-S2) Single tuner (DVB-S2)
er, the remote control and HDD eSATA eSATA and internal SATA
adapter cables for compo-
Video Container MPEG1/2/4 (M1V, M2V, M4V); MPEG1/2 PS (M2P, MPEG1/2/4 (M1V, M2V, M4V); MPEG1/2 PS (M2P,
nent video and composite MPG); MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS, TP, TRP, MPG); MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS, TP, TRP, M2T,
video mentioned above, the M2T, M2TS, MTS), VOB, AVI, ASF, WMV, IFO, ISO; M2TS, MTS), VOB, AVI, ASF, WMV, IFO, ISO; Matroska
Matroska (MKV), MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4 (MKV), MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4
manufacturer also supplies
Video Codecs XVID SD/HD; MPEG-1; MPEG-2: MP@HL; MPEG- XVID SD/HD; MPEG-1; MPEG-2: MP@HL; MPEG-4.2:
a short manual and two AAA 4.2: ASP@L5, 720p, 1-point GMC; WMV9: MP@HL; ASP@L5, 720p, 1-point GMC; WMV9: MP@HL; H.264:
batteries for the remote. H.264: BP@L3; H.264: MP@L4.0; H.264: HP@L4.0; BP@L3; H.264: MP@L4.0; H.264: HP@L4.0; H.264:
H.264: HP@L4.1; VC-1: MP@HL; VC-1: AP@L3 HP@L4.1; VC-1: MP@HL; VC-1: AP@L3
Before we went about
checking out all features and Audio Container AAC, M4A, MPEG audio (MP1, MP2, MP3, MPA), AAC, M4A, MPEG audio (MP1, MP2, MP3, MPA), WAV,
WAV, WMA, FLAC, OGG WMA, FLAC, OGG
functions of the AZBox min-
Audio Codecs AAC, AAC+, DTS, WMA, WMA Pro, MP1, AAC, AAC+, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS, WMA, WMA Pro,
iMe we first looked at aspects MP2, MP3, LPCM, FLAC, Vorbis, DTS (Audio MP1, MP2, MP3, LPCM, FLAC, Vorbis, DTS (Audio
differentiating it from the AZ- Passthrough) Passthrough), Dolby Digital Plus (Audio Passthrough)
Box ME. After all, the ‘mini’ in In/Output Front Coloured Leds; Power Button; 1x IR Jack; 1x USB 2.0; Coloured Leds & VFD; Power Button
the model name is there for In/Output Rear 1x HDMI; 1x JACK; 1x e-SATA; 1x RJ45; 1x 1x HDMI; 1x Component (YcbCr); 1x RCA Video; 1x
a reason. Optical S/PDIF; Power Switch; 2x USB 2.0; 1x AV RCA Audio (L/R); 1x e-SATA 1x RJ45; 1x USB 2.0; 1x
connector; Optical S/PDIF; Power Switch;
Even though the standard
AZBox ME is by no means a Card Reader 1x (side) 1x (side)

large receiver, the miniMe ■ Table 1.


is considerably smaller. An probably keep your finger on
overview of the distinguish- the button much longer than
ing factors between the two required.
can be seen in our table.
The receivers use differ- The AZBox miniMe we re-
ent processors, even though ceived for testing came with
both are clocked with 1230 pre-installed AZtrino v1.6.
DMIPS at 500/333 MHz (CPU/ We checked on the manufac-
DSP) and thus are largely turer’s website (http://www.
identical. azbox.com) and found out
There are only marginal that it was the current firm-
differences which go unno- ware for the receiver.
ticed by users, since the pro- Once we had connected
cessing capacity is identical all cables to the receiver we
and in both receivers the CPU were finally able to turn it
is not fully exploited. In the- on. It always surprises us no
ory, for example, both pro- end to see how user-friendly
cessors could support even a receiver can be with top-
more flash memory. The sin- notch software. In this case
gle genuine processor-based we were smoothly guided
distinction is Dolby Digital through various configura-
Plus, which is only available tion steps by an efficient wiz-
with the AZBox ME thanks to ard, starting with language
its SIGMA SMP 8655 proces- selection.
sor. Even though this receiver
is small, the range of avail-
Here is a quick rundown able languages is huge and
of the major differences be- we cannot think of a box that
tween the two receivers: offers more options!
Video resolution is next,
• Hard disk: While it is with all modes from 480p to
possible to install in internal 1080p being available, either
2.5’’ HDD in the AZBox ME, with 50 Hz or 60 Hz. Obvi-
the miniMe only allows an ously, it is also possible to
external HDD via USB or e- select interlaced mode (i) for
SATA. all resolutions. We went for
• Firmware: The flash 1080i, a configuration that is
memory of the AZBox ME can very popular in Europe.
store three different firmware What follows is the cor-
versions. When switching on rect time zone, and here too
the receiver you can either the manufacturer seemed to
press 0, 1 or 2 on the remote have thought of all corners of
control to select the firmware the world.
you prefer. With the AZBox From these basic settings
miniMe it is only possible to we are guided to the net-
store two different firmware work parameters. DHCP is
versions in the (smaller) flash activated by default, and this
memory (0 and 1). actually makes sense since
• Display: With the AZBox the router automatically as-
ME you get a blue alphanu- signs all required values and
meric VDF display show- addresses.
ing the channel name when If you prefer to work with
switched on and the current a static user-defined IP ad-
time when in standby. The dis- dress you can of course also
play is particularly important manually set all parameters.
when selecting the firmware At this stage you can even
version to boot from – the define a so-called time server
display will show BOOT[0], from which the AZBox min-
BOOT[1] or BOOT[2] so that iMe obtains the exact time.
you know you can release While it is true that the cur-
the corresponding button on rent time is also transmitted
the remote control. The AZ- with DVB-S/S2 data streams
Box miniMe does not feature we found that some provid-
such a display, which means ers are simply incapable of
you select the firmware by sending a correct and stand-
pressing the respective but- ardised time stamp so that it
ton (0, 1 or VOL+) and most may happen during zapping


that the receiver’s internal an impressive result for a
time jumps back and forth an standard search with 60cm
hour or two. Thankfully, there flat antennas in bad weather.
is a time server (NTP – Net- Speaking of the channel
work Time Protocol) already search, the AZBox miniMe
pre-set in the AZBox miniMe: comes with a tuner that is
time.tu-berlin.de. capable of performing blind
scan searches, just like the
Now we‘re only one step larger AZBox ME. The current
away from actually watching AZtrino firmware supports
TV with the AZBox miniMe, blind scan as well, which is
and this final step deals with why we couldn’t refrain from
getting the receiver to work hooking up our 2.4m mesh
with the reception equipment antenna with C band LNB for
in place. a blind scan search on 37.5W.
Just so you know, all DiS- The AZBox miniMe flaw-
EqC protocols are supported. lessly detected a number of
We began with connecting transponders as well as the
the box to our existing array Metro TV channel from Gha-
of antennas, which consists na. This signal is broadcast
of four flat antennas aligned with a symbol rate of 1674
to the following positions: and an FEC of 7/8. While the
DiSEqC-1 - ASTRA 1 resolution of only a quarter of
(19.2E), DiSEqC-2 - HOTBIRD PAL standard is very unusual
(13.0E), DiSEqC-3 - HISPA- and feels like an insult to the
SAT (30.0W) and DiSEqC-4 eyes – especially when com-
- ASTRA 2 (28.2E). pared to all the latest FTA HD
For that configuration to channels on ASTRA 1 (19.2E)
work you don’t even need to – it is truly exciting to be able
consult the manual, since all to watch African TV in Eu-
OSD menus are self-explan- rope. All DXers out there will
atory. surely understand what we
We then initiated a chan- mean!
nel search across all four The only thing that was not
positions, which had us wait- met with our approval was
ing for a total of 34 minutes. the wrong indication of the
While this is a tad on the long transponders’ frequencies:
side, we were rewarded with The figures given were based
3178 channels, which is quite on a universal LNB, even


though our LNB was specifi- ternal hard disk to the USB
cally configured as a C band interface of the AZBox min-
LNB. Apart from that, we iMe. It was formatted with
were genuinely pleased with FAT32 and already included
the blind scan results. a number of multimedia files,
Let’s turn to another very so that we were able to find
important aspect now. After out how easy or difficult it
all, the blind scan option is would be to use a pre-for-
nice to have, but a receiver matted hard disk with exist-
can only prove its worth in ing files in connection with
everyday use for watching the AZBox miniMe.
television. To cut a long story short:
No need to worry as far The external HDD was de-
as the AZBox miniMe is con- tected automatically and
cerned: It offers fast channel added to the directory tree
switching and comes with a under /media/sda1.
very reliable software en- The only thing we had to
vironment. During our test add manually was the path
we were never faced with for the time-shift directory
any freezes and all standard which is normally created
functions such as EPG, tele- automatically at the time a
text or subtitles worked with- hard disk is formatted by the
out a glitch. AZBox miniMe’s AZtrino firm-
In order to test the PVR ware. In our case the exter-
function we attached an ex- nal HDD already had some


files on it that we of course least we opened the Internet the receiver has treats in
wanted to keep, which is why browser on our PC and en- store for everybody.
we added the time-shift and tered the IP address of the If you like watching films
recording directories manu- AZBox miniMe. and playing back multime-
ally. Spoilt by the AZBox ME, dia files you can simply hook
Once that was accom- we had certain hopes in that up an existing hard disk and
plished we were able to use regard and luckily the min- watch or listen to more or
those functions to the full and iMe did not disappoint us. less all file formats.
could not detect any flaws. The website of the receiver If you’re the adventurous
Everything worked just the appears on the monitor and type and love to spend hours
way we knew it from other allows remote access to all on end hunting for out-of-
Linux receivers. receiver functions. the-ordinary channels from
We went through all other In addition, it is even pos- exotic positions or for feeds
menu options as well and also sible to stream the currently that are not intended for
tested a motorised antenna received channel across the the average viewer you will
with the SG2100 DiSEqC 1.2 entire home network. Sitting greatly appreciate the blind
motor from Motek, which on your work desk and at the scan function.
worked right away. This part same time watching a soc- For the rest of the family
of our test was completed cer match? No problem at all who merely wants to watch
extremely quickly since we thanks to the AZBox miniMe! TV this receiver offers ease
used the existing settings of use and a logical user in-
from our AZBox ME. It pays This is a receiver that terface. Who could possibly
off to stick to products from meets all of our demands: ask for more?
the same family! The pre-installed firmware
Last but by no means lives up to its promises and Well, there is always more.
More features and more
functions, thanks to alterna-
tive firmware versions that
can be used optionally.
Just like with the AZBox ME
you can find a range of dif-
ferent firmware distributions
for the AZBox miniMe. There
is the official AZtrino firm-
ware, with which the receiver
is shipped by default.
And then there’s a firm-
ware version called RTI or an
OpenRSI version. It’s really


not hard to guess that we or VOL+ you have no in-
tried out both! formation on whether your
First we had to find out command is being execut-
how to install new firmware ed or how long you need to
in the first place. The short press the button. This felt a
manual that is shipped with little strange at first and to
the receiver is rather vague be on the save side we kept
regarding alternative firm- our finger on the button until
ware and the missing VFD the first screen appeared on
display does not help either. the TV.
Just like the AZBox ME the After a while, however,
miniMe is started with the we knew intuitively when to
0 or 1 button of the remote release the button, and we
pressed in order to boot from even discovered that the
flash memory 0 or 1. The AZ- power LED flashes shortly
Box ME offers a third option right after the selection has
by pressing button 2. Alter- been executed.
natively you can press the Contrary to the AZBox
VOL+ button to access the ME a flash menu appears
flash menu. on the screen. At that stage
The AZBox miniMe does it is possible to either flash
not have a display, so even the receiver with BOOT[0],
though you press either 0/1 Boot[1] or MICOM (front-end


processor), or to restart the So we had to test the dif-
box. The current IP address ferent firmware versions one
of the receiver is indicated as after the other. This is not
well, so that you can flash the such a big deal, and we ex-
receiver from your browser pect the three firmware ver-
on the PC. In that case the sions to be available for the
screen goes blank and you same kernel shortly. Consid-
control the receiver from the ering the short time that this
PC. receiver is on the market, the
This is when we had to try number of available firmware
out a few things since the versions is already very im-
procedure is different from pressive.
the one with the AZBox ME.
To start with, we had down- We mentioned on several
loaded a firmware version occasions that the AZBox ME
that was offered as a TAR file. and the AZBox miniMe are
WinRAR then identified this very similar in many ways,
file as corrupt, even though so we went about install-
it was perfectly all right and ing the ME’s AZtrino v1.7 on
included the flash image as the mini-Me. To that end we
well as the kernel file. This changed the file extension
TAR file can be flashed via from IMP to RAR and extract-
the browser on the PC. ed the two firmware files onto
Alternatively, you may go our USB memory. Installation
for firmware files that come was successful and we could
in the RAR format. In that address the receiver via Tel-
case you will need two files, net. The TV screen, however,
one with the flash image remained dark.
(image0.jffs2) and the other At this stage we were lured
with the corresponding ker- into a flash tour as we simply
nel (zbimage-linux-xload). did not want to believe we’d
Please note that what you manoeuvred ourselves into
just read is not a typo: Us- a dead end. The final result
ing the browser you need a after some 20 minutes was:
firmware image in TAR for- rien ne va plus!
mat, using USB you require Most other receivers would
two files that are downloaded have earned the name ‘brick’
as a single RAR archive and by that time, but the AZ-
then unpacked onto the root Box miniMe comes with the
directory of the USB mem- famed recovery button. Sim-
ory. Sounds complicated? ply switch it to recovery and
You bet, but that’s the way it reboot the receiver.
works… The power LED will flash
in orange colour during that
Both the AZBox ME and process and when the receiv-
the AZBox miniMe use a joint er is all set again it will turn to
kernel in the flash memory, blue. After deactivating the
that works with the differ- recovery switch we restarted
ent firmware version. While the receiver and were greet-
this certainly has its benefits, ed by the familiar flash menu
it also means that the firm- soon after.
ware version you intend to This allowed us to install
install must be compiled for the standard AZtrino v1.6
that particular kernel version firmware again. It remains
since they all share it. a mystery to us why other
What follows from this is manufacturers don’t make
that we were unable to keep use of this brilliant safety
the current AZtrino and the measure as well. Then again,
RTI firmware in the flash this is one of the distinguish-
memory at the same time, ing features of the AZBox
since the two require differ- miniMe and you never need
ent kernel versions. If you to despair after an unsuc-
do start a firmware with the cessful flash attempt.
wrong kernel your screen will We continued with the
stay blank. However, the re- current v1.85 of RTI. While
ceiver can still be addressed installation went smoothly,
via Telnet. you should make a point of


removing the USB memory image. As they say, you win
after flashing so that the re- some, you lose some…
ceiver does not automatically Just like with the RTI image
start the flash menu. there is a pre-installed plugin
Again, the receiver needs server which provides a wide
to be re-started after the range of plugins and there-
flash routine and it first fore can be used to expand
shows the RTI welcome the range of features of the
screen, followed by an instal- receiver enormously. Among
lation wizard. other things, e-mail plugins
The first parameter that are available as is access to
needs to be adjusted is various content libraries.
screen resolution, which we Once again, the AZBox
once again set at 1080i with manufacturer has come up
50 Hz. Language selection is with a new product for a mar-
next and just like with AZtri- ket segment that has been
no the list of options is very neglected so far.
long. The AZBox miniMe is a very
Finally, we had to config- small Linux receiver with el-
ure our reception equipment. egant, yet low-key looks
To that end we selected the plus a range of functions and
SIMPLE mode and entered features that are second to
the four satellite positions we none. For more information
can receive. After that, we about general features of the
were able to initiate a chan- AZBox range please have a
nel search, which was com- read of our ‘AZBox Receiver
pleted after 48 minutes with Software’ series which fo-
a result of 4017 channels in cuses on a specific aspect in
total. each issue of TELE-satellite.
We should like to mention
at this point that the weather In spite of its small size
had vastly improved since the the AZBox miniMe does not
previous search and when heat up even during heavy-
looking up we saw a blue sky duty use: lukewarm is all we
instead of grey cloud. could feel. There is no built-
We went on to test the in fan required, which means
media player of the RTI im- the unit does not create any
age, only to find out that the noise whatsoever.
firmware version we used No matter whether you
came with a bug of the media only want to watch satellite
player which meant that films television or tinker with your
or music just would not play hardware and software: The
back. What a shame, even AZBox miniMe is the way to
though we are convinced one go. Not only is it possible to
of the upcoming release ver- install different firmware ver-
sions will address that issue. sions, two images can even
be installed at the same time,
While we were at it, we provided they work with the
simply could not keep our fin- same kernel.
gers off the OpenPLI image If worse comes to worst,
either. In terms of functions, you can always switch the
it is largely identical with the recovery button which will
RTI image, even though the quickly get you out of trou-
pre-installed skins obviously bles with a working image.
look different. Trying out new plugins is
You need to dig a little fun, and creating network
deeper to discover the dif- shares with all associated
ferences: The OpenPLI firm- possibilities will keep you en-
ware comes with a different tertained for days. Even the
media player which was able missing front display can be
to access all of our films on retrofitted – find out how by
an external USB HDD or via reading ‘Digital Picture Frame
the local network. The player for the AZBox ME’ in TELE-
even displayed subtitles cor- satellite 06-07-08/2012.
rectly. Thanks to the IR jack it also
On the other hand, blind possible to position the re-
scan is not available with this ceiver completely out of sight


and only place the picture in all other rooms with a TV.
frame and IR receiver next to These need not have a HDD
your flat screen TV. Use it as attached, since recordings
you like, the sky’s the limit! and time-shift viewing can be
As far as multimedia use is accomplished with the net-
concerned the AZBox miniMe worked AZBox ME in the liv-
will also become your best ing room.
mate: It plays back all cur- This way all multimedia
rent file formats either from content and recordings can
e-SATA or USB hard disks or be distributed to all clients
via your local network. and films downloaded from
the Internet can be played
Now the big question that back by simply connecting
begs answering is: Which the USB storage device to
receiver should you opt for? any of the AZBox receivers.
Is the AZBox ME the box for The really great thing with
you, or rather the AZBox such an environment is that
miniMe? two different categories of
You really want an answer receivers can be used simul-
from us? Take both! There taneously with identical firm-
you go. Or better still: One ware and the same remote
AZboxME and several AZBox control.
miniMe’s! Even the not so tech-savvy
members of your family will
The average home these like that because they can
days has more than one easily change from the ‘small’
TV: There’s one in the liv- to the ‘large’ receiver without
ing room, the master bed- worrying about different user
room, the children’s rooms interfaces.
and more often than not the
kitchen as well. And that’s Make no mistake about it,
not even counting the study, the AZBox miniMe is a fully-
basement, or any other area fledged satellite receiver all
in your house or apartment. by itself and offers almost
TV has become a by-word for the same range of features
multimedia. as the AZBox ME, but at a
Long gone are the days slightly lower price.
when the whole family as- All we’re saying is that a
sembled in front of the telly reduced price brings with it
to watch one of only three the differences mentioned
available channels. With hun- above: A smaller flash mem-
dreds or thousands of satel- ory allowing only two firm-
lite channels available, there ware versions at the same
is no way a family would ever time, no internal hard disk
agree on a particular channel and no front display.
to watch. If you can easily do without
What’s more, in this day those features we can hap-
and age you want to watch pily recommend the AZBox
the beginning of a movie miniMe, as it is on par with
from the couch in your living the AZBox ME, our reference
room, and the end from your receiver.
bed in the bedroom. Once again Opensat, the
That’s why it does make manufacturer of AZBox re-
sense to own more than one ceivers, is to be congratu-
receiver, and to hook them all lated.
up to your local network. The AZBox miniMe is a
This is where all the capa- great small Linux receiver
bilities of the AZBox ME and with which Opensat adds fur-
the AZBox miniMe come to ther proof that the AZBox se-
the fore. ries is here to stay.
For us (and you) this means
The ideal set-up would con- continued technical support
sist of an AZBox ME in the and a steady supply of new
living room, equipped with a and improved firmware ver-
large-capacity hard disk and sions, just like we have come
acting as server. AZBox min- to appreciate for the AZBox
iMe’s can then be installed ME.


Expert Opinion
Small size
Loads of functionality
+ 2 totally different firmware versions available
Blind scan
4:2:2 capability

– No front-display Vitor Martins Augusto
TELE-satellite
Test Center
Portugal

TECHNICAL
DATA
Manufacturer OpenSAT Ltd, Lagoa, 4950-283 Mazedo, Portugal

Website www.azbox.com

E-Mail info@azbox.com

Model AZBox mini ME
Function / Miniature HDTV Linux Receiver with Multimedia
Features
Operating System Linux
Processor (CPU) SIGMA processor SMP 8653
Working Memory DDR 128 MB
Video Memory DDR 128 MB
Tuner Single tuner ( or ) embedded.
DiSEqC 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, USALS
Flash Memory 256 MB
HDD eSATA
Video Output PAL / NTSC
Video Containers MPEG1/2/4 (M1V, M2V, M4V); MPEG1/2 PS (M2P, MPG);
MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS, TP, TRP, M2T, M2TS, MTS),
VOB, AVI, ASF, WMV, IFO, ISO; Matroska (MKV),
MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4
Video Codec’s XVID SD/HD; MPEG-1; MPEG-2: MP@HL;
MPEG-4.2: ASP@L5, 720p, 1-point GMC;
WMV9: MP@HL; H.264: BP@L3; H.264: MP@L4.0;
H.264: HP@L4.0; H.264: HP@L4.1; VC-1: MP@HL;
VC-1: AP@L3
Audio Containers AAC, M4A, MPEG audio (MP1, MP2, MP3, MPA), WAV,
WMA, FLAC, OGG
Audio Codec’s AAC, AAC+, DTS, WMA, WMA Pro, MP1, MP2, MP3,
LPCM, FLAC, Vorbis, DTS (Audio Pass-through)
Picture Support JPEG, BMP, GIF
Subtitle Supported SMI, SRT, TXT, SUB, SSA
Resolution 576i (480i), 576p, (480p), 720p, 1080i, 1080p
Ethernet 10/100 Base-T Ethernet (max.100Mbit/s)
Front I/O Coloured Led’s; Power Button; 1x IR Jack;
Rear I/O 1x HDMI; 1x JACK; 1x e-SATA; 1x RJ45; 1x Optical S/PDIF;
Power Switch; 2x USB 2.0; 1x AV connector;

ENERGY
DIAGRAM

Apparent Power Mode Apparent Active Factor
Deep Standby 4.5 W 0.5 W 0.11
Active Power Standby 15 W 7.5 W 0.5
Active 19 W 11 W 0.57


TEST REPORT Digital TV Meter

DEVISER
DS2400T


• offers all measuring options a professional
antenna installer needs
• among the highlights are MER
measurements for each transponder,
ground loop measurements and a remote
measurement function
• excellent user interface and top-notch
software features
• display with extremely high resolution,
perfectly suitable for showing the spectrum
and constellation diagrams
• one of the bonus features is long-term
measurement of BER


TELE-satellite-1209

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