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tory-set. However, you will have to activate
any satellite expressively, and that makes
sense. Don’t activate the satellites that are
out of reach, and you save a lot of memory
that would otherwise be wasted—it’s that
smart and simple.
When performing an Autoscan, the AD-
2000IP does this a thorough job. It also finds
SCPC signals including those tough ones as
long as they confirm with the DVB standard.
Most PowerVu signals are also detected.
Many other DVB-compliant digital boxes
have problems with PowerVu signals and
either don’t process them at all or display
some cubist art on the screen.
To help you align the dish properly, a
signal strength-measuring tool is included,
but you will want to use the analogue reception
part for coarse alignment. To find new
channels, you have to perform an automatic
search routine. Whenever a transponder has
not been activated, you will have to do this
manually. Then enter the frequency, symbol
rate and FEC. as well as the PIDs, if available.
The Satco-DX charts on the Internet or in TSI
will be of great help here, as always.
Performing an Autosearch will add every
channel found. Unfortunately, you cannot
skip encrypted channels automatically. It’s all
up to Echostar’s software design department:
will they have the guts to make the source
code of their software publicly available?
In the past, the most important software
improvements to digital satellite receivers
were not only suggested by everyday-users
but partly also programmed by them. We are
convinced that the software part of the product
could be rapidly improved by making the
software freely available.
The Edit menu lets you control channels
and transponders. So just delete all transponders
carrying encrypted channels you don’t
pay for, eliminating the tedious obstacle race
around blank screens. The edit function can
of course also be used for radio stations and
analogue reception.
When using an LNB with an odd LOF, just
select the LOF you want in the menu so you
don’t have to recalculate frequencies all the
time. A lot of common LOFs are supported
but you can easily add your own by typing in
yours on the remote.
In everyday use, the AD-2000IP is very
easy to operate. The guide button will display
an electronic programming guide in case it’s
provided by the broadcaster. Not too many
channels feature this additional information
yet. May be teletext can help you, then? The
receiver sends the teletext information to
your TV set. To access teletext, your TV has
to have a teletext decoder built in.
http://www.TELE-satellite.com
4:3 and 16:9 video formats are supported.
Using pan and scan, you decide how they’re
going to be displayed on the screen.
Although the favourites list can store both
analogue and digital channels, there is something
you may not like in normal zapping
mode, and that’s the behaviour of a button
labelled “digital/analogue.” Let’s suppose
your in digital mode and press this button.
Your dish will not necessarily stay on the
current satellite and just switch to analogue
reception. The receiver remembers the last
analogue channel you watched and turns
back to it, even if it is on a different satellite.
It’s up to you whether to regard that as a bug
or a feature.
ANALOGUE POWER
The analogue part of this receiver is not
to be scoffed at, offering low-threshold
extension in 32 steps and two video bandwidths
(18MHz and 27MHz,) video level
adjustment in four steps and a 700-channel
memory. That should be sufficient for any
region in the world. All features of the digital
section are also available for analogue TV,
such as skew, 14/18V, 22kHz, DiSEqC 1.0
and the 0/12Volt switch. Decoders can be
fed with the four of the most common video
output standards. The VideoCrypt and MAC
decoders we hooked to this box had no
problems whatsoever.
CONCLUSION
We expect Echostar’s AD-2000IP to find its
way to users very quickly, provided Echostar
makes the serial interface really useful, for
instance by offering software and/or channel
updates over the Internet.
The on-screen menu features only one
language (English) at the moment, but other
languages are planned for the near future.
A dream of ours is a digital receiver with
an autoscan feature that takes into account
its AFC range, combined with auto-detection
of symbol rates and FEC values. There’s
not receiver available that performs this on
its own, but actually Echostar’s AD-2000IP
would be the ideal basis for such a dream
receiver.
This box offers excellent workmanship,
the integrated electric fan being just one
indicator for that. Channel memory is virtual
unlimited. A digital scan does not last an
eternity, and yet it traces almost every signal
available.
MORE INFORMATION
-www.TELE-satellite.com/TSI/9902/echostar2.
shtml
AD -2000 IP
Manufacturer/Distributor
Echostar, NL-7604BJ Almelo
Information fax
+31-546814691
Satellite positions
50
LNB inputs
3
LNB outputs
1
Scart (peritel) connectors
3
Audio output
2 X phono
Y/C (S-VHS) output
yes
RS-232
Western
0/12 Volt
phono jack
Motor interface
Reed/Hall
Polariser connector
Servo
LNBF compatible
14/18V
22 kHz
yes
DiSEqC
1.0
LNB input range
Channel memory
Standard
OSD
Signal quality indication
Symbol rates
SCPC compatible
C-Band compatible
Supported LOFs
Edit function
Auto scan
LNB input range
Channel memory
Bandwidths
LT extension
DIGITAL
950-2150 MHz
2.900 (1.500 TV/1.400 radio)
DVB compliant (partially PowerVu)
ANALOGUE
Threshold Level extended
Decoder compatible
Audio bandwidths
De-emphases
Edit function
16 colours
yes
2-45 Msym/s
yes
yes
freely adjustable
yes
yes
900-2150 MHz
700
18/27 MHz
yes, in 32 steps
3 dB
yes
130/150/230/280/330/500 kHz
50/75µs, J17, adaptive
yes
45