SatcoDX - TELE-satellite International Magazine

TEST REPORT
HDTV Satellite Receiver
Imperial SatBOX HD
A Perfect HDTV Receiver
Thanks to the emergence of HDTV, or
high definition television, satellite receivers
are going through a substantial redesign.
Instead of 576 lines, this new technology
brings with it nearly twice that amount,
1080 lines, and offers therefore a marked
improvement in picture quality. The Imperial
SatBOX HD receiver that we tested
lets you receive not only DBS-S2 signals
in MPEG2 (H.262) but also signals in the
newer MPEG4 compression (H.264). At the
same time, the video signals are now carried
to the TV digitally with the new HDMI
connections.
When I turned on the Imperial
SatBOX HD for the first time,
I sat there mesmerized by the
high resolution transmissions
for almost an hour. I surfed
from ASTRA19 to HOTBIRD13
and from ASTRA 28.2 to ASTRA
23.5. Through it all I enjoyed
the spectacular landscapes and
the animal portraits that could
be seen on the Demo channels.
It’s a nice feeling knowing that
you are witnessing the birth of
a new technology even if for the
most part it’s still in the starting
gates in Europe.
I like the Imperial SatBOX HD.
It weighs only about 2.2 Kg (4.8
LBS), measures 340x248x65
mm and therefore fits nicely
in almost any entertainment
42 TELE-satellite & Broadband — 10-11/2008 — www.TELE-satellite.com
center. Its power consumption is
relatively low, in standby mode
it uses only 12W and when fully
operational 17W (with antenna
motor it’s more like 18W).
The sensitivity of the tuner is
above average and its operating
system is fast and comes with
a number of convenient functions.
In addition to the Standby
button on the front panel, there
are seven more buttons that
let you work through the menu
system without the need of the
remote control. The dominant
feature on the front panel would
have to be the 13-character
alphanumeric display. It shows
not only the channel name but
also provides information on a
number of the menu functions.
The two CI slots plus the Conax
card slot lets the box receive
up to three different encryption
systems at the same time.
This is especially critical since
HDTV is mostly available with
encrypted PayTV packages.
Aside from the LNB In/Out
and the two Scart jacks on the
rear panel, there’s also an HDMI
output. The latter provides a
digital output of up to 1080i
lines of resolution whereby this
line structure is also possible
with the 576 lines of a normal
DVB-S broadcaster thanks to
upscaling.
The annoying line structure
disappears with a compatible
TV; this makes for enjoyable
viewing even on larger flat
screen TV’s. Top quality stereo
systems can be connected optically
to the S/PDIF output or via
the RCA jack.
Software upgrades can be
uploaded through the RS-232
interface using a null-modem
cable. The USB jack and the
Ethernet connection are cur-
rently not active
and are planned for
a later version. The
main power switch is
a useful way to help
save energy but it
also makes the software
upgrade process
a little easier.
The receiver has an