AZBOX /Elite / HD / Premium

yes i have one, the fw is still in beta, but i think this receiver will be huge. check out satpimps forum for more info.

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Hi Kaiser

On the other thread we were talking about 4:2:2 feeds, I left a question for you there on 12th. Were you able to try it on 4:2:2 please?

havent tried it myself, i copied this from another forum

"The machine was tested by my friend, reported their results

feeds on dvb-s and dvb-s2: l'azbox works correctly, there is no difference, that depends on the tuner that is fully dvb-s and s2

feed in dvb-s2 4:2:0 SD: ok
feed in dvb-s2 4:2:2 SD: ok
DVB-S2 feed in 1080i HD 4:2:0: ok
DVB-S2 feed in 1080i HD 4:2:2: ko

the negative test was carried out with the HD ELITE AZBOX this feed:
10/04/2009 08:57 PM Submitted by yosssi
NSS 7 (22.0 ° W)
11689 H 15000 - MPEG2 4:2:2
Sport - Golf
Masters HD (dvb/s2)

is thought that the problem depends on the chipset, a chipset Sigma, just as it is used for streaming digital media reader Popcorn Hour: The small Popcorn Hour is perfectly compatible with the video in SD and 4:2:2, in HD, only 720p format, but is not compatible with the 4:2:2 HD 1080i

I do not know if something has tested the same feed with different outcome

if the problem is real, I do not know if it can be solved with new firmware

If so go hassle and go with great difficulty that we were going well with this deco,, hope if anyone knows more of the item says something thanks"

Ok, just got one of these a few days ago and thought I'd let everybody know what they are like (have posted in this forum even though it'll be 2 weeks before I have my DTT tuner).

Firstly, there has been a lot of speculation and misinformation floating around since these were announced last year and this, understandably, seems to be one of the main reasons people are holding off purchasing.

As an introduction to Linux boxes, my previous STB's were a Sigmatek (DTT only) Globalteq (combo) and an Mvision HD200 (combo), the price really is great, a similar specced Dreambox costs at least twice as much and even though the firmware is still technically in Beta and without extra tuners I decided to take the plunge.

I purchased it from slegs from SaorTV who I have dealt with in the past and as usual found him to be extremely accommodating and helpful (also good to know he is the official Irish distributor for AZBox).

Right, to the actual unit! I was never not going to be disappointed by the looks of the STB as the original (photoshopped) pictures that floated around the net showed a vastly superior looking piece of kit, the actual unit looked a bit better than the real pictures of it but not as expensive looking as my Mvision 200HD but then it has an actual display instead of numbers (my biggest gripe with the Mvision), so like everything, a trade off. Built quality though looks very good and the plethora of connections at the back gave me the excitment that only techies seem to get with bits of kit like this, dare I say the back looks better than the front!

After connecting it up and switching it on I was amazed by the sheer amount of configurability (is that a real word?) and always had been daunted by the thoughts of a Linux OS but it was actually simple to set up (worth noting that slegs will configure any STB he sells before he posts it out so even if you are completely tech-less you have no excuse). Straight away the Menu system showed that this was no ordinary STB, on pressing the 'Home' button a menu came accross the bottom listing this boxes many talents, it appears that TV is just one of them as it also has a Browser, Youtube app, RSS reader and various media player and File Manager options.

For SD material on TV it definately displays the best pictures I have ever seen and while not a million miles better than my Mvision it is an improvement N.B. I always thought that the Mvision had a great picture.
For HD material I felt a little disappointed, it may just be that the jump from SD to HD wasn't as much now and I had expected an improvement similar to the way it handled SD material, will try and do some back to back testing but don't get me wrong it's more than acceptable.

Youtube app works exactly as promised and if that was more my sort of thing I'd be more excited about it but again, thumbs up for an whole new feature

RSS reader, same thoughts as above, not my cuppa but works perfectly.

Browser, I suppose after having the internet for 10 plus years I was going to be critical of this and I wish it had been implemented a little better, it works fine and certainly better than the browser I currently use in my sitting room, which is on the Wii, the real letdown and no fault of the machine is that I NEED a mouse and keyboard to surf! There has been talk on other forums of a plug-in to allow use of a USB keyboard, if this develops into support for a wireless keyboard and mouse then I'll be a happy bunny! For most though it is going to be more than acceptable and I certainaly won't be using the Wii to surf again, of course hats off for bringing another great feature to this box as it is going to mean a lot of people surfing from their sitting room for the first time.

The Music, Video and Photo viewer I haven't even tried yet (this box just does so much) but I have heard it is great, will test later as I have a few Blu-Ray images on my PC and would love to see if it can play them accross the network.

I only experimented briefly with Recording and it seems to work fine, one thing I did note and that was that it doesn't store them as Transport Streams but as MPEG that even Windows Media Player can play without modification! (Something my Mvision didn't do).

Another great feature is the LAN connection, being able to download the latest firmware without having to switch on your PC or mess around with USB sticks is great! You can also remotely access the STB from your PC and download, edit and upload your channels listings!

Even though I have this 2 days I have only barely scratched the surface of what it can do and that's saying a lot, for a techie like me I don't think I'll ever stop playing or adding to it (there is a Plug-in section on the Menu to add new apps!) and I know development continues at a staggering pace and a quick Google will find you all sorts of forums to see what this machine is capable of.

Worth noting that I can use my Dragon CAM and genuine Sky sub card in this box, if I hadn't loaned out my spare Dragon I would be able to test if I can run 2 CAM's, one with my Genuine card and one with my FTV card (this has been one of my ambitions to get both running on one box).

The biggest gripe I have though is with the remote, it really is a step down from the one for my Mvision, it, in comparison is well built, solid and laid out well, the AZBox one has me looking at the remote looking for keys a lot and doesn't fell as solid, I'll probably be less harsh on it once I've learned where the buttons are and truthfully this doen't bother me as I have a Harmony that will soon be learning the AZBox codes but I want to make this 'review' as honest as possible.

Now, as mentioned in the beginning of this thread, this box is kinda still in Beta and there is promise of all sorts to come, well the most exciting developments are just around the corner, the Firmware for the DVB-T tuners and twin tuners is being released today, the extra tuners will be here in about 2 weeks and slegs has negotiated a deal with a programmer to implement the Freesat/ Sky EPG into the AZBox (and hats off to him), this is an exciting time and the dream DTT/ Sat combo box with 7 day EPG's for both looks like it'll be a reality VERY soon.

So, a very postive review for this box from me and it's main let-downs seem to be that it is a bit more functional than stylish (ala the looks of the box and the remote) but it is more than made up for by the features and definately the price! So, the question is, do you wait until the few weeks until the Unified EPG combo box becomes a reality (to be on the safe side) or do you take the plunge now?

IHMO when the first report comes in that it is working you better hope you can grab one as they will fly off the shelves, now that Boxer is gone there is no point holding on to see if you can get a cheap DTT box on a special offer or something!

Hopefully that covered most things and over the weekend I should be able to test a whole host of other features so will do a follow up review, and, as usual if you have any questions, just ask.

kerbdog wrote: »

Would be completely sold if the 7-day EPG was implemented.

As I said in my review, this is looking like it's happening and there will be such a demand once it does!

kerbdog wrote: »

Does your box have dual DVB-T and DVB-S tuners?

Just have a single DVB-S2 tuner at present, have a DVB-T one on order though, counting down the days...


[Moved to Hobby Satellite AKA Foreign Satellite as it's a hobby box rather than pure consumer and not appropriate to terrestrial forum till it has a DTT tuner working on MPEG4]

must ..... resist.... temptation....

Ive played MKV files without difficulty...

high bitrate files might stutter but thats because they have the bit rate capped while fw is in beta. Its the same processor as popcorn hour etc, so shouldnt be a problem in the future.

hopefully all the popcorn hour plugins are ported over at some stage.

At the moment I have a dish for 28E and a Triax 88cm with 2 lnbs pointing at 19E and 13E, I have a 4 way holder and 2 more lnbs on the way so I can set one of them on a likely sat for feeds.

I can compare the AZBox with my Mvision and see if it's more sensitive, I remember Fat-tony remarking that he found his Mvision more sensitive than anything he had used before so it would be a good comparison.

Really though, this machine is so featured that I am a little overwhelmed (in a good way) and it may be a few days before I get round trying any of this. :rolleyes::P

Thanks for the excellent review gtg60.

I'm also interested in the MPEG 4:2:2 capabilities. Very tempted to buy based on what I've read so far.

Not known yet but would be very surprised if not. You can watch channels on another transponder from the one you are recording. Would be hoping that you can record and watch channels on the same DVB-T Mux also.

http://www.satelliweb.com/index.php?section=livef

7 East and 10 East are busy especially early evenings. The times on the link are one hour ahead.