נשלח: 14 דצמבר 2007, 10:54
Here is a review i have done based on the 1.04 firmware
I tested this box on some of the HD FTA channels on 19.2E and also on the Premiere HD and Discovery HD. Also on
BBC HD on Astra 28.2E.
I was looking at picture quality, definition, saturation, contrast and also the ergonomics of the remote and the menu
system it uses. This was using firmware release 1.04
Overall the Kathrein UFS910sw offers an outstanding High Definition picture, the detail levels are pin sharp, the picture
is crisp with good contrast and almost lifelike in quality, the saturation of colours is outstanding which especially
comes into its own when viewing wildlife HD broadcasts etc. The logos on the channels and Digital Onscreen Graphics
are represented in Pixel-Perfect formation, no fuzzy edges here, the pictures are very sharp even right into the corners
of the screen which other HDTV boxes have had problems with. On 1080i settings you really see the "WOW"
effect of HDTV kicking in, the wife was very impressed with the quality whilst another visiting friend commented on
where he could get his hands one of these boxes. In down-scaled 720p format the picture only loses a fraction of the
sharpness but this is understandable, and again in 576p there is a slight change to the quality.
I personally would recommend the 1080i setting, but this will depend on the transmission you are viewing as a picture
in 720p may look better at that setting rather than up-scaled to 1080i. I noticed in the latest 1.04 firmware that there
is also an automatic option that recognises the stream you are viewing and changes it accordingly.
The remote control is laid out in a familiar formation but has very clear numbers and instructions so that only a fool
would be unsure what each button will do.
The Menu system is very clear and easy on the eyes, even on a smaller TV there would be no problems navigating
from one section to the next, Kathrein have chosen a colour coded system for the menu that relates directly to the remote
control and uses very clear instructions and hints at the bottom of the screen so you will never get lost in the
menu system.
The EPG is very well thought out and is a credit to Kathrein, there is very little hesitation in displaying of the program
info. All of the programs are displayed in an 8 hour section with the time and program title, highlighting them with up
down then hitting info button displays the full program synopsis on the screen in a very easy to view format.
Audio track is simply changed by hitting the yellow button. Video format is changed by the Green button, The Kathrein
UFS910 allows the image to be output in 1080i, to 720p, 576p. 576i is possible via the SCART socket as Composite
video or s-video-signal, this can also be changed via the V Button under the front panel.
There is also a multifunction rotary wheel on the front of the 910 unit that allows moderate control of the basic functions
of the box without use of the remote control. Rotating the wheel changes to the next channel, a quick press of
the wheel and the receiver changes to or from RADIO/SAT mode, holding in the button wheel puts the box into standby,
which according to the manual uses only 1watt of power!. When turning on from standby the Kathrein takes approx
9-10 seconds till picture showing on screen, channel change takes a relatively short 1-2 seconds but i presume
this will be improved with later firmware. The ability to record to an external USB drive or USB stick is a big bonus and
is one of the great reasons to purchase this this box.
The recording side of the box is great, you press record on the
remote and it tells you how long the program that you are watching has left to run and will record to that time. Of
course you can stop the recording at any time aswell with the stop button.
Upon pressing play, you are presented with a list of programs recordered to disk and the time & date of the program
also if it is in HD or SD. There is a preview window top right and more detailed info is displayed below the video when
you select it. To edit or delete a recording just press the Red button which gives you a choice of Delete, Lock, Rename
or Change category.
If you inadvertently plug your external USB HDD into the front USB socket a gentle reminder scrolls across the display
stating:- "NOTE: For recording ist better to use rear USB connectors" The use of the German word "ist" instead
of "it is" makes you remember that this is a Quality German product, hopefully they dont correct the grammar in
later firmware as i personally think it is quite cute! The time taken to search all channels on Astra 19.2E FTA & Scrambled
with Network Search turned on takes round about 6-8 minutes. At present only DiSEqC 1.0 is on the box but
there is talk of 1.1 or 1.2 coming soon in new firmware. Because of the limits of DiSEqC 1.0 only 4 satellites can be
programmed into the Kathrein at any time.
As a whole, the Kathrein presents us with a very good user-friendly layout, which is sadly not taken into account on
most receivers. The 16 Digit LED display on the front of the box displays info to the user about programs and channels
in a scrolling format when you first switch to a new channel, then as a static display of the channel name.
The build quality is impressive, I removed this lady's clothes to see what she was made of and was impressed by her figure,
separate power supply circuit that was a nice distance from the mainboard to avoid any possibility of interference
with the picture quality.
P R Consultant Engineer, www.satellitesuperstore.com
I tested this box on some of the HD FTA channels on 19.2E and also on the Premiere HD and Discovery HD. Also on
BBC HD on Astra 28.2E.
I was looking at picture quality, definition, saturation, contrast and also the ergonomics of the remote and the menu
system it uses. This was using firmware release 1.04
Overall the Kathrein UFS910sw offers an outstanding High Definition picture, the detail levels are pin sharp, the picture
is crisp with good contrast and almost lifelike in quality, the saturation of colours is outstanding which especially
comes into its own when viewing wildlife HD broadcasts etc. The logos on the channels and Digital Onscreen Graphics
are represented in Pixel-Perfect formation, no fuzzy edges here, the pictures are very sharp even right into the corners
of the screen which other HDTV boxes have had problems with. On 1080i settings you really see the "WOW"
effect of HDTV kicking in, the wife was very impressed with the quality whilst another visiting friend commented on
where he could get his hands one of these boxes. In down-scaled 720p format the picture only loses a fraction of the
sharpness but this is understandable, and again in 576p there is a slight change to the quality.
I personally would recommend the 1080i setting, but this will depend on the transmission you are viewing as a picture
in 720p may look better at that setting rather than up-scaled to 1080i. I noticed in the latest 1.04 firmware that there
is also an automatic option that recognises the stream you are viewing and changes it accordingly.
The remote control is laid out in a familiar formation but has very clear numbers and instructions so that only a fool
would be unsure what each button will do.
The Menu system is very clear and easy on the eyes, even on a smaller TV there would be no problems navigating
from one section to the next, Kathrein have chosen a colour coded system for the menu that relates directly to the remote
control and uses very clear instructions and hints at the bottom of the screen so you will never get lost in the
menu system.
The EPG is very well thought out and is a credit to Kathrein, there is very little hesitation in displaying of the program
info. All of the programs are displayed in an 8 hour section with the time and program title, highlighting them with up
down then hitting info button displays the full program synopsis on the screen in a very easy to view format.
Audio track is simply changed by hitting the yellow button. Video format is changed by the Green button, The Kathrein
UFS910 allows the image to be output in 1080i, to 720p, 576p. 576i is possible via the SCART socket as Composite
video or s-video-signal, this can also be changed via the V Button under the front panel.
There is also a multifunction rotary wheel on the front of the 910 unit that allows moderate control of the basic functions
of the box without use of the remote control. Rotating the wheel changes to the next channel, a quick press of
the wheel and the receiver changes to or from RADIO/SAT mode, holding in the button wheel puts the box into standby,
which according to the manual uses only 1watt of power!. When turning on from standby the Kathrein takes approx
9-10 seconds till picture showing on screen, channel change takes a relatively short 1-2 seconds but i presume
this will be improved with later firmware. The ability to record to an external USB drive or USB stick is a big bonus and
is one of the great reasons to purchase this this box.
The recording side of the box is great, you press record on the
remote and it tells you how long the program that you are watching has left to run and will record to that time. Of
course you can stop the recording at any time aswell with the stop button.
Upon pressing play, you are presented with a list of programs recordered to disk and the time & date of the program
also if it is in HD or SD. There is a preview window top right and more detailed info is displayed below the video when
you select it. To edit or delete a recording just press the Red button which gives you a choice of Delete, Lock, Rename
or Change category.
If you inadvertently plug your external USB HDD into the front USB socket a gentle reminder scrolls across the display
stating:- "NOTE: For recording ist better to use rear USB connectors" The use of the German word "ist" instead
of "it is" makes you remember that this is a Quality German product, hopefully they dont correct the grammar in
later firmware as i personally think it is quite cute! The time taken to search all channels on Astra 19.2E FTA & Scrambled
with Network Search turned on takes round about 6-8 minutes. At present only DiSEqC 1.0 is on the box but
there is talk of 1.1 or 1.2 coming soon in new firmware. Because of the limits of DiSEqC 1.0 only 4 satellites can be
programmed into the Kathrein at any time.
As a whole, the Kathrein presents us with a very good user-friendly layout, which is sadly not taken into account on
most receivers. The 16 Digit LED display on the front of the box displays info to the user about programs and channels
in a scrolling format when you first switch to a new channel, then as a static display of the channel name.
The build quality is impressive, I removed this lady's clothes to see what she was made of and was impressed by her figure,
separate power supply circuit that was a nice distance from the mainboard to avoid any possibility of interference
with the picture quality.
P R Consultant Engineer, www.satellitesuperstore.com