(Preview) KNC ONE: TV-Station DVB-S2 Plus (budget TV-card)

Release date: April 2006

Get it at KNC ONE.com

TV-Station DVB-S2 Plus Box

1. Introduction

Everyone who waited for his problem child HDTV for a long time, because he wanted to be future-proofed and did not want to buy the first best tv-card, can breathe a sigh of relief now, because with the TV-Station DVB-S2 Plus the time of waiting is finally over. KNC1 launched the first functioning DVB-S2 TV-card and accomplished bridging between SDTV via DVB-S and HDTV via DVB-S2, which just accomplished some few manufacturers with their set-top boxes licenced for the German pay-TV channel "Premiere".
But we can not deeply breathe a sigh of relief, because the TV-Station Plus as a budget card does not have a hardware decoderchip, which would unload the CPU, so that a powerfull computer has to be used and our testing sample was afflicted with the aftermath of the early software version. But for all that we will still baptise the child with this preview and we will accommodate it into our HD-community. And we may expect big results.

The DVB-S2 card

Fast installation

2. Installation / Initiation

Our testing card lacks an installationroutine yet, so that the drivers, software and the Cyberlink H.264 BETA Codec had to be manually started from the folderstructure of the CD. Everything else than beatifull, but it worked and it was fastly and easiely done. Modified codecs for nVidia and ATI graphics cards were also included, so that the right codecs has to be chosen.

The enclosed Cyberlink PowerDVD version had also been installed. This copy is fully and sperately working as a DVD-playersoftware, but our copy had no serial number. It will be included in the final delivery.

The H.264 codec attaches to this PowerDVD version. We got a BETA version, but Cyberlink released the final codec during our test period and this will be indlcuded in the package.

After five minutes time all needed programmes were installed and GlobeTV could be started.

Even the Hauppauge Nexus-S and FireDTV-S could remain connected in and to the computer without causing IRQ-problems. The card did not heat up exceedingly in use, which it owes to the compact design.

GlobeTV user interface

EPG in timer-controlled recording window

Videotext

3. Handling

3.1 Software

TV-Station DVB-S2 Plus ist bundled with the TV-software GlobeTV made by ODSoft. Further programmes and even operating systems shall be supported directly oder indirectly via BDAs. The final card will be shipped with a 30-days-trial of TV-Central and Windows Medie Center Edition and linux drivers are under development right now, according to KNC1. A SDK is yet missing.

3.1.1 GlobeTV

GlobeTV offers solid basis features and a clear user interface. This is espacially interesting for newbies. TimeShifting, already regarded as state-of-the-art, is handled just as well as EPG or a DolbyDigital-output. GlobeTV uses external third-party graphs for displaying video and audio and more can be used besides the included Cyberlink graphs.

EPG can be directly operated from within the "Time-controlled recordings" window and can feed the time. Likewise the time can be manually set up and the missing data can be gathered from videotext. This Videotext browses fastly and automatically sorts pages in practical structure-trees with superordinate pages.

"Quick Record" enables you a spontanious recording without setting a timer. Settings for auto-scheduled-records and quick-records can be seperately undertaken, but offers identic parameters. Selectable formats contain all popular formats ranging from *.PVA to *.MPEG (with or without AC3) to *.TS. Stored shows can directly watched in an integrated player.

Switching between SD-channels takes about one second time, between SD and HD-Sendern in MPEG2 about two seconds and between SD and HD-MPEG4 channels about three seconds until the first image appears.

GlobeTV contains prefabricated channel-lists, but even a full satellite-transponder scan of one position turns out to be rather short. Who thinks this takes to much time can manually arrange lacking channels or change of data and assemble a favourite-list.

There is no interface for plug-ins, so that additional software or fanprojects like MPH support ar a network-stream server, which could help unload the CPU of the receiving computer and transfer the load for decoding the hdtv-signal on a computer connected elsewhere to the network.

HD-recordings in .*TS

Settrings - graphs for Mpeg2 und -4

"Blue Man Group"

Pro7HD - "tzzzzs! sharp!"

Pro7SD upscale - "near-DVD"

VLC playback error "modern art"

3.2 Audio

The Cyberlink graph flawlessly plays everything, be it MPEG2 Audio or AC3, and outputs it according its settings. Some of the current TV-software have problems in passing through MPEG2 Audio via SPDIF or keeping the AC3-sound in sync. both did not happen with TV-Station and Cyberlink. Alike other TV-applications GlobeTV displays when an alternative AC3-sound-track is available, so that one can manually switch to it or GlobeTV does it automatically. Likewise this applies for second audio programmes like ARTE. If one prefers another graph can also use it instead of the standard audio-graph.

3.3 Video

Similar to audio-graphs it acts with video-graphs. One can switch between the standard graphs for MPEG2 and H.264 (MPEG4) and alternative graphs. A deinterlacer handles the combing-effect and removes or attenuate it. Only exception is test system #1, on which a combing-effect was very visible during fast horizontal pannings. All other higher test systems did not show this problem, so it has to be du directly with test system #1. Cyberlinks proofs to be a familiar good choice for such tasks.

3.4 HDTV

What highlights the TV-Station DVB-S2 Plus from other cards is the capibility of receiving and processing DVB-S2 modulated signals. HDTV in MPEG2 is already possible with available DVB-S cards, but because all bigger European television networks decided to use the not backward-compatible DVB-S2 , because of its more efficient use of bandwidth, the TV-Station DVB-S2 Plus is primarily designed for a use with HDTV and is more futur-proof in face of future developments.

And in that respect it goes strong and displays hd-channels in DVB-S2 and MPEG4 in all their glory. Therefore H.264 BETA codec, the second videograph, is used. It wears the suffix with full reason because several problems appeared in the course of our survey. All our test systems were running under full load. Test system #1 actually just achieved a sporadic slideshow in live modus, at which #4 and #5 just produced some occasional stutters (about every two seconds). As we turned of the TimeShifting the circumstances of the latter test systems enhanced und increased stutterfree times to four or five seconds. Even taking advantages of ATI drivers and their hardware decoding of MPEG4 didn't improved our situation, because the current version was designed for progressive scaned images and lacked a support for displaying interlaced images (this was under development at that time), which is used by all current hd-channels on air. There was no visible difference in giving out interlaced signals either, which does not need an interpolation, concerning the stutters, but the images felt significantly more smooth. KNC1 does not specify 3.2 GHZ dual core and 1 GByte RAM as minimum configuration without purpose.

Fortunately recording is a much more joyable issue. Each test system was able to record and save hd-channels flawless, although having stutters while simultaneously watching it with GlobeTV. All record formats can be used for storing MPEG2-HD, but MPEG4-HD could just be saved in a *.TS-container and all other formats were just stored as 0kb empty file shells. Storing it directly as MPEG4 or in a MP4-container, similar to the available MPEG2, has not been implemented yet. A freezing of images appears strange to us, whereby the audio track continued playing and previous or later started record sessions had no effect at all of it and delivered failure-free videos.

The saved *.TS with MPEG4-core was played well with PowerDVD depending on available computing power, partially with seldom and hardly recognisable stutters, unlike working in life mode with the same system. But also here the preterm nature of the format was shown, because system #2 just displayed a striped pattern and even a later downloading and installing of the final Cyberlink H.264 codec did not changed anything about the presentation as best described as "modern art". Alternatively to PowerDVD, VLC and MPC swallowed anything, although they just slided each frame by frame after slowing down the playback speed. Test system #4 and #5 and even a PowerMac did play recordings without freezing images and stutter. So impressive images can be shown depending on computer power. Core AVC could not handle and play recorded *.TS and dropped an error message. In Graphedit, the retroactively inserted trial version of Mainconcepts' H.264 codec couldn't been processed and finally killed Graphedit.

The channel change between two HD-stations took over three seconds also with switched off timeshift. A peculiar effect on each testsystems was that MPEG2 and -4 HD-stations weren’t shown, when changing to a sd-station and back. That could only been resolved by reinstalling the h.264 codec. Once there were pictures shown with colour channels in “blue” instead of in red. One of our viewers sitting in front of the testsystem mentioned that people were looking like as if they’re from the Blue Man Group. A correct setting of the colour values was not possible, but a selection of the VMR9 mode instead of the overlay stashed away the blue in all three modes. This theething problems were forgotten during our tests of the HD-promo channel and the two movies "Manhattan Love Story" and "Charly's Angels - Full Throttle" on Pro7 HD in native HD. However there is a difference also when viewing upscaled material instead of viewing the original sd-channel and meets the expected niveau of “near-dvd”.

TV-Station DVB-S2 Plus - connectors

Optional CI-Module

Enter TV-Station DVB-S2 Plus gallery

See our SD VS. HD- waggle images

3.5 Additional features

Despite of the poor looking shipment the card offers a lot of direct an indirect additional value. The full version of PowerDVD 6 2-channel edition (OEM) and it is possible to download the latest GlobeTV version of the manufacturers homepage.

With the Sat-in signal it is possible too, to use internet via satellite services (SkyDSL, Strato DSL e.g.) and the sat signal can be forwarded over the sat-out. Likewise there is an analogue video-in connector , with whom it is possible to record analogue signals for example of a camcorder to the pc.

Via Diseqc 1.2 it is possible to rotate a motor – based satellite dish, to use more than one fix satellite position.

The most interesting point however is the interface on what it is possible to connect the optional available CineView Module for the CAM-bay, in which in turn the abo card of the respective pay tv provider can be put in. Having no module for our test we asked meanwhile KNC ONE and they replied that it should be possible to use all current CA-Modules within it and that the most European pay –tv providers can be used with it. They told us that there is no official licence for preiere or a support for proprietary modules, but it should be possible for example to use it with an Alphacrypt CAM. Likewise it would be possible to receive HD-Pay-TV unless the CAM supports the needed bandwith.

3.5.1 HDCP

On our request regarding the playback and recording of programs, that require a HDCP encrypted output and therefore are only viewable with devices guaranteeing the encrypted playback we got the answer, that it would be no problem to playback, because the card and the software didn’t change or encrypt the control signal for HDCP. They simply transmit the signal together with the video/audio stream to the decoder- and visualizing components in the PC. Graphiccards with an fitting HDCP-able decoder will meet the certifications of HDCP and downscale the HDTV content to normal PAL/NTSC size or disable the output on analogue outputs.

SD and HD comparison images - "Waggel-images"

This time we did frame accurate images for direct and precise comparison between the SD- (Pro7SD, DVD) and HD-version (Pro7HD). Below there are seven captures of the SD version. If you move your mouse over them, the HD version will be shown. If you click on them, the whole images will be shown, which will also change to the HD version if you move your mouse over them. The Matrix Reloaded DVD is included in the Ultimate Matrix Collection.

SD and HD comparison images - "Waggel-images"

This time we did frame accurate images for direct and precise comparison between the SD- (Pro7SD, DVD) and HD-version (Pro7HD). Below there are seven captures of the SD version. If you move your mouse over them, the HD version will be shown. If you click on them, the whole images will be shown, which will also change to the HD version if you move your mouse over them. The Matrix Reloaded DVD is included in the Ultimate Matrix Collection.

SD and HD comparison images - "Waggel-images"

This time we did frame accurate images for direct and precise comparison between the SD- (Pro7SD, DVD) and HD-version (Pro7HD). Below there are four captures of the SD version. If you move your mouse over them, the HD version will be shown. If you click on them, the whole images will be shown, which will also change to the HD version if you move your mouse over them. The Matrix Reloaded DVD is included in the Ultimate Matrix Collection.