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Ultimate Systems 2010 2010
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UltimaTe Systems 2010
04 Ultimate Luxury system
06 Ultimate Budget system
07 Ultimate linux system
08 Ultimate UK Free-to-air system
09 ULTIMATE UK Pay-TV SYSTEM
10 ULTIMATE DIGITAL TV pc SYSTEM
Ultimate systems 2010
12 ULTIMATE FeedHUNTING SYSTEM
Wotsat presents nine ways to splash your TV cash Putting together a digital TV system is fundamentally a case of finding the right reception equipment for the channels you want to receive. Money is a key factor, of course. Not everyone will want to spend more than a few grand to satisfy their TV cravings but for those with the funds to ‘think big’ we’ve assembled a ’luxury’ package that will get you a huge amount of channels from numerous sources in the best sound and picture quality. It’s also futureproof, being 3D-ready and networkable too. Just don’t come to us with your electricity bill. If you don’t have a Swiss bank account perhaps there are more modest recommendations. Our budget satellite system comes in at under £1,000, including TV and PVR-ready receiver. If you’re OK with having a satellite dish installed and your Freeview coverage is sufficiently good then our
free-to-air system is your gateway to inexpensive subscription-free multichannel viewing. If you don’t mind paying for your TV fix then our pay-TV package cherry-picks what we think is the best offering in the UK at the moment (clue: rhymes with pie). Our feedhunting and Linux-based systems, meanwhile, should sate the appetites of the more hardcore enthusiast who is au fait with terms such as ‘blind search’ and ‘mounting a new image’. They’ll also get inspiration, no doubt, from our cutting-edge digital PC system. Finally, it’s summer, the time when many people are going on holiday. This doesn’t have to mean putting your TV enjoyment on hold, however, as caravanners can still take a dish and receiver with them. Our Euro-minded travel system on page 90 should point you in the right direction n
13 ULTIMATE Idtv SYSTEM
14 ULTIMATE Travel sat SYSTEM
Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV 3
TV
Panasonic TXP50VT20B n This 50in top-of-the-range Panny plasma is 3D-ready (including Sky) and has Freeview HD and Freesat HD tuners, making it pretty much futureproof as far as UK TV goes n £2,300, www.panasonic.co.uk
blu ray player
Panasonic DMPBDT300EG n This 3D Blu-ray player is at its best when paired with a Panasonic 3D TV. Great picture and sound and bonuses such as multimedia streaming and YouTube access n £399, www.panasonic.co.uk
PVR
Technomate TM-7100 n Good things come in threes – like this triple-tuner sat receiver with dual HD sat and Freeview reception. Add a hard disc and you can record from multiple channels, never missing a thing n £525 (with 1TBHDD), www.satellitesuperstore.com
network HDD
Western Digital Mybook World Edition II n Ideal for media streaming or backing up recordings from the Technomate, this NAS drive packs two 2TB drives n £400 approx, www.wdc.com
PVR
Amstrad Sky+ 1TB
Also consider
n The highest capacity Sky box yet comes 3D-ready and with up to 40 HD channels for the ultimate pay-TV package n £249, £48.50/month (Sky World package), www.sky.com
Virgin Media V+HD: Add this 3-tuner cable PVR to a TVXL subscription and pick from 160 channels, 12 in HD. £0 (with TVXL), www.virginmedia.com 4 Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV
Samsung BD-C900: This 3D Blu-ray spinner isn’t short of great features, but you’ll need a Samsung 3D TV (page 89). £320, www.samsung.co.uk
Global Invacom Fibre MDU: OTT for one home, but the future of sat reception is fibre optic. From £199 (LNB only), www.globalinvacom.com
UltimaTe Systems 2010 speakers
Which dish?
Monitor Audio Radius HD 5.1 n Complementing our Onkyo AV receiver is this high-end 5.1 speaker system – great for Dolby 5.1 broadcasts and compact enough to fit into most people’s living rooms n £1,275, www.monitoraudio.co.uk
Raven 1.2m A luxury system is going to feel the benefit of a large antenna able to pull in hundreds of channels, so we’ve selected a 1.2m Raven dish from Satellite Superstore that will withstand all weathers. Accessories comprise a polar mount, Technomate VBox 3, 18in actuator, Raven feedhorn and a high-gain quatro Inverto C120 LNB – Satellite Superstore has also thrown in a sturdy self-made 1m ground stand. n £638.90 www. satellitesuperstore.com
av receiver
Onkyo TXNR5007 n This monstrous, wellspecified receiver caters for speaker systems up to 9.2 if need be and will upscale video to 1080p if needed. Connections include a whopping eight HDMIs n £2,000, www.onkyo.com
PVR
3view n This 500GB hybrid PVR has twin Freeview HD tuners, media playback and streaming and iPlayer and (soon) Sky Player functionality, making it quite the DTT dynamo n £299, www.3view.com
networking
Devolo HomePlug dLAN 200 n Helping to minimise damage to skirting boards are these plug adapters – keeping our networkable devices in contact via the electrical mains system n £99, www.eurosat.com
remote
Logitech Harmony 1100 n With a nifty touch screen and internet upgradeable, this universal remote will control everything, even your lighting system n £266, www.logitech.com
streaming
Slingbox Pro n This placeshifter is still the best way to beam TV from a receiver to mobile devices and computers over the net n £170 app, www.slingbox.com
Also consider
Triax TD 110: Pair this 1.1m dish with a Stab STHH120 mount and you have a great combo. £70 (£100 with mount), www.eurosat.com
Topfield SRP2100: 500GB sat PVR boasts twin SD/ HD sat tuners and multimedia features include streaming and YouTube. £700, www.turbosat.com
Lyngbox LB1-ST: HD sat and Freeview SD PVR, 160GB HDD, twin CI slots and, uniquely, updateable via Lyngsat. £400, www.eurosat.com Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV 5
Which dish? Triax TD110 Once again we’ve gone for the Triax TD110 1.1m dish for our antenna with an accompanying Stab STHH120 mount. Depending on your location this setup should be adequate for getting channels from a wide range of the most popular European satellites in range. For multi-sat use we’d add a Triax TQD 005 universal quad LNB. £70 (£100 with mount), £30 (LNB), www.eurosat. com
TV
Philips 42PFL740H n With superb looks and great value per screen inch, this 42in LCD IDTV has outstanding picture quality to boot n £750, www.philips.co.uk
saT finder
Philex SLx Sat Finder n Finding satellites is a doddle with this simple Philex gadget featuring a backlit analogue meter and audible tone n £12 approx. www.philex.com
PVR
Technomate TM-3500 D+ USB PVR
Also consider
n An embedded multicam, PVR-via-USB functionality, blind search, full DiSEqC and USALS support are just some of the features of this low-cost but versatile receiver n £59, www.technomate.com
Manhattan Plaza UPM: Boasts an embedded multicard reader, PVR-via-USB recording and a very fast blind search. £85, www.eurosat.com 6 Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV
Digiquest 8600CI: Lacks a few basic features such as an EPG, but would make a good ’supplemental’ receiver. £49, www.wizardsatellite.co.uk
Triax SR110: FTA only but has full DiSEqC and USALS support and a fast blind search mode. Well thought-out software too. £45, www.triax.co.uk
UltimaTe Systems 2010 Which dish? Triax TD 110 Paired with a Stab STHH120 mount, this should be enough to get channels from most major satellites over Europe without breaking the bank. Add a Triax TQD 005 quad LNB for extra flexibility. £70, £100 with mount, £30 (LNB), www.eurosat.com
TV
Sony KDL-40EX503 n This 40in LCD TV comes with a Freeview HD tuner and tinkerers will warm to its host of networking features including DLNA streaming and Bravia Internet Video n £750, www.sony.co.uk
NAS Drive
Western Digital Mybook World Edition II n Linux boxes can be made to work with NAS drives and the more storage the better. This one comes with 2TB drives in a back-up friendly RAID configuration n £400 approx, www.wdc.com
PVR
Dreambox DM800 HD n The Dreambox range continues to be the de facto open source Linux brand and this HD-ready compact receiver is ideal for modders and has the ability to record to external drives via USB. Nice OLED display too n £389, www.dreamboxshop.co.uk
meter
Maxpeak SAM-Lite n It’s not HD-friendly (for that buy a SAM) but the SAM-Lite is handy for locking on to most satellites should you be having dish troubles n £199, www.maxpeak.com
Also consider
Icecrypt S4000: Classy PVR has twin HD satellite tuners, hardware blind search and twin CI slots. £340 (with 320GB HDD), www.turbosat.com
Duolabs QBox HD: PVR-ready (via USB) this receiver can take up to three tuners. Freeview and satellite supplied. £430, www.hisat.com
Zyxel NSA 220: You must add your own drives (up to 2TB in total) but this RAID-configured dual-bay drive is a nice buy. £170 approx, www.zyxel.com Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV 7
audio
Samsung HT-BD1255 n All-in-one Blu-ray player and 5.1 home cinema system that’s ideal for hi-def TV n £500, www.samsung.co.uk
tv
Panasonic TX-P46G20 n Freeview HD and Freesat HD on a Full HD screen that’s bursting with performance and features n £1,300, www.panasonic.co.uk
PVR
Humax Foxsat HDR n The first Freesat HD+ PVR, with a 320GB disc, is still the best, and now supports BBC iPlayer n £240, www.humaxdigital. com/.uk
Which dish?
PVR
3view n More than just a 500GB Freeview HD+ PVR, this hybrid receiver is fully connected for web browsing and home media sharing n £300, www.3view.com
Also consider
Sqish Quad A low-profile dish won’t be noticed, but this Selfsat antenna performs as well as a standard 60cm dish. We’ve chosen a quad feed model ideal for feeding PVRs and second-room receivers. £199, www.sqish.co.uk
Technisat Multytenne: Highly efficient quad-feed DiSEqC dish will make use of the Foxsat HDR’s multi-sat capabilities. £250, www.technisat.co.uk 8 Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV
Humax HD-Fox T2: This single-tuner Freeview HD receiver will (soon) record to USB and play MP3 and JPEG files. £180, www.humaxdigital.co.uk
Technisat HDFS: Stunning Freesat HD zapper box offers recording to USB, and networked DLNA media streaming. £150, www.technisat.co.uk
UltimaTe Systems 2010
Which dish? Sqish Quad On a balcony or a listed building, the Sqish can be disguised with stickers so no one notices you’re piping in satellite TV. This quad version can feed extra boxes around the house. £199, www.sqish.co.uk
TV
Sony KDL-40W5810 n Superb black levels and SD upscaling on this Freesat HD TV, also boasting Sony’s Applicast internet TV service n £1,000, www.sony.co.uk
speakers
Teufel Theatre 200 n Finely tuned 5.1 surround system with a powerful sub, expandable up to 11.1 that will make the most of HD home cinema n £800, www.teufel.eu
AV receiver
Pioneer SC-LX82 n An ultra-stylish, all-digital, well-equipped AV receiver that will provide punchy, highly detailed sound from all sources n £1,900, www.pioneer.co.uk
PVR
Sky+HD 1TB n Smaller than a regular Sky+HD but with over six times the user storage, this TARDIS PVR will make you a Time(shifting) Lord of HD TV n £249, www.sky.com
Also consider
Virgin Media V+HD: Not just an HD PVR, it’s also a gateway to lots of on-demand content including iPlayer. £49 (plus sub), www.virginmedia.com
Talk Talk TV+: Triple-tuner PVR takes the hybrid Freeview/broadband route with superb VoD. £50 (plus sub), www.talktalk.co.uk
Neovia VH-350: Cheaper than the Selfsat Sqish, and just as discreet and efficient, but only comes in a dual-output model. £146, www.pulsat.com Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV 9
Which dish? Triax TD78 This 78cm dish should be adequate for receiving channels from the most popular satellites in the UK. Factor in ASTRA2Connect and you could have two dishes running in tandem (if your local council approves). £50, www.eurosat.com
PC
Media PC4U MPC6030 n Specified to our requirements, this media PC has a Silverstone CW02 case and is powered by an AMD Athlon II X4 quad core processor, 3x 2048MB RAM and an ATI: HD 5450 512MB graphics card. The OS is Windows 7 Home Premium and TV reception comes from a MystiqueTV SaTix S2 dual-tuner HD sat card and a twin-tuner Hauppauge Nova-TD-500 Freeview SD card. An LG BH10LS30 Blu-ray rewriter means we can archive recordings stored on our RAID-configured Western Digital Green Power drives with a total of 4TB storage. n £1,960, www.mediapc4u.co.uk
NAS drive
Western Digital Mybook World Edition II n Just in case we exhaust our TV’s storage this 4TB NAS drive fulfils our back-up and overflow needs n £400, www.wdc.com
audio
Yamaha YSP-5100
Also consider
n This incredibly thin sound bar will sit unobtrusively under our LG TV generating up to 120W of pseudo surround power and has four HDMIs for acting as a media hub for AV receivers, games consoles, and so on n £1,169, www.yamaha.co.uk
Mythbuntu: If you prefer Linux to Windows, this media application incorporates MythTV – a PVR app beloved of enthusiasts. www.mythbuntu.org 10 Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV
Buffalo LinkStation Duo: This 4TB NAS drive has two 2TB drives for back-ups. DLNA and uPnPcertified. £490, www.buffalo-technology.home
Elgato EyeTV Netstream DTT: This twin-tuner USB box can feed two computers at once with Freeview SD over a home network. £150, www.elgato.com
UltimaTe Systems 2010
TV
LG 42SL9000 n Edge LED-backlighting keeps this 42in LCD TV super slim without compromising exceptional picture quality. It has a PC input and is networking-friendly too for media streaming and more n £1,200, www.lge.com
sat broadband
ASTRA2Connect n For those in remote areas, satellite can now fulfill your internet needs. A dish is included and we’ve plumped for the Value 4M package, giving us a speed of 4MB/s n £410 + £25/month (Value 4M), www.beyondsl.net
Also consider
Devolo HomePlug dLAN 200: Multiroom networking is easier if you use plug sockets and high-speed adapters. £99, www.eurosat.com
Toshiba Qosmio X500-10X: No TV tuners, but this laptop has a great 18.4in display, Windows 7 and Blu-ray writer. £1,327, www.toshiba.co.uk
ASUS Eeetop PC ET22: All-in-one PC has a superb 21.6in touchscreen, Windows 7 and Blu-ray drive. Add your own tuner. £785, www.asus-uk.com Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV 11
Which dish? 1.2m Raven dish A 1.2m Raven dish from Satellite Superstore is another nice fit for this system with a polar mount, Technomate VBox 3, 18in actuator, Raven feedhorn and a high-gain quattro Inverto C120 LNB. A 1m ground stand produced by Satellite Superstore itself should further ensure that the dish isn’t going anywhere, however bad the weather. £638.90, www. satellitesuperstore.com
TV
LG 42LF700 n This 42in Freesat HD tuner equipped LCD TV tops up our channel quota when we’re not hunting for new feeds. It looks great doing it too n £950, www.lg.com/uk
PVR
Technomate TM-7100 n This twin HD sat and DTT tuner PVR benefits from one of the fastest blind search modes we’ve ever seen, making it a worthy investment n £525 (with 1TB drive), www.satellite superstore.com
meter
Satcatcher Excel TV MkIII
Also consider
n With a fetching 3.5in colour LCD display and DiSEqC compatible, this is a very impressive meter/analyser n £560, www.satellitesuperstore.com
Ibersat ISF2009: This meter has blind search, DiSEqC and USALS support and is almost a mini sat receiver. £450, www.eurosatmidlands.com 12 Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV
Manhattan Plaza UPM: Fast blind search, a multicrypt card reader and PVR-via-USB recording. £85, www.eurosat.com
Vantage HD8000S: PVR with a quick hardwarebased blind search and twin HD sat tuners. PVR upgradeable. £450, www.vantage-digital.com
UltimaTe Systems 2010
Which dish? Sqish Quad Not a dish, but fitted with a quad LNB for multisat reception this low-profile antenna works as well as a 60cm dish and can be camouflaged by stickers to match the surrounding wall so as not to bother the neighbours/local conservation bodies/ council. £199, www.satshop.co.uk
TV
Samsung UE40C7000 n This 40in LED-backlit TV is 3D-ready for Sky and can convert 2D sources to 3D on the fly. It’s also equipped with a Freeview HD tuner and has copious networking features, as well as iPlayer support n £1,800, www.samsung.com/uk
PVR
Panasonic DMR-BS880 n We could have gone for the current model, but from what we’ve seen this second generation Panasonic HDD/ Blu-ray Freesat recorder is going to be worth the wait with improvements in many areas n £tbc, www.panasonic.co.uk
Also consider
Panasonic TX-P46G20: Freesat HD and Freeview HD reception plus the ability to record to external drives. £900, www.panasonic.co.uk
Neovia NEO VH-350: Another discreet antenna with a dual LNB ideal for feeding PVRs. £146, www.pulsat.com
Sharp LC-46LE820E: This LED backlit beauty also has a Freeview HD tuner and built-in timeshifting (up to one hour). £2,000, www.sharp.co.uk Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV 13
Which dish? Maxview Omnisat B2566 This tailor-made travel kit comprises a 66cm tripod-mounted elliptical dish with a universal LNB and folding arm. Accessories include a compass, sat beeper and footprint maps. £200, www.maxview.co.uk
TV
AVTex W163TR n This caravan-friendly 12V 16in LCD TV has Freeview SD and analogue tuners, twin HDMIs for HD boxes and reclines on a neat sloping stand n £225, www.avtex.co.uk
meter
Maxpeak SAM-Lite n A bit extravagant for holidaying, perhaps, but if you’re lost in the woods this budget meter will at least help to locate some decent telly as night draws in n £199, www.maxpeak.com
PVR
Micro M150 HD
Also consider
n This 12V free-to-air receiver boasts HD reception and the ability to record to external drives, and supports EasyFind LNBs for painless channel locating n £150, www.roadpro.co.uk
Powergorilla: An essential mobile power source for innumerable devices, including 12V receivers. £150, www.powertraveller.com 14 Summer 2010 What Satellite & Digital TV
Grundig GUFSAT01HD: An ideal means of watching Freesat while touring the British Isles, perhaps. £90, www.grundigdigital.com
Comag sat in a suitcase: These bargain budget systems combine free-to-air receivers with a 45cm dish. £varies, www.lidl.co.uk