FireDTV-S CI, external firewire DVB-S receiver-box

Get it exclusively at digital-everywhere.com

1. Initiation

The period of windows-pc users jealously looking over to the apple-community and their Elgato EyeTV-box seems to be ended. Because this small box was modified for Windows and is not inferior to its pomaceous pendant. Since the FireDTV is identical to the Elgato box, it will be connected via firewire and has to be considered as a serious competitor towards present USB-boxes and mainly budget PCI-cards. This box offers the flexibility of an external tv-card, even for notebooks, and the comfort of a PCI-card, in particular because of the already integrated CI-slot.

This article addresses mainly people, who seriously consider to buy an external box or who want to replace their budget card against something better.

3.2 Audio

Also PowerDVD5 was set as the standard graph for providing good audio, but it is just the 2-channel version and we were not able to find the right setting to passthrough AC3 directly via SPDIF. According to a reply on our query in the MyTheatre-forums this is just possible with the 6-channel version [No AC3-stream detected by receiver via SPDIF out (PowerDVD5)].
However, the WinDVD6 graph gets out the wonted Dolby-enjoyment.
Switching between several languagetracks (e.g. ARTE) or to an AC3-steam is done easy. Soley a small icon, which shows if more audiotracks or an AC3-track is available, would be desireable.

3.3 Video

The Videoimage is displayed very good. The graph of the delivered PowerDVD5 presents an equally good image as that of WinDVD6. Interlaced frames are deinterlaced by these graphs and they do their very best to it, but the alias-effect is still visible among certain TV-channels with low datarate and fast cameraworks as on MTV Networks.
So you can't find fault with PowerDVD, but if you do, you can still use alternative graphs.

3.4 HDTV

Thanks to the firewire-interface the datastream is sended without disturbance to desktop-PCs or laptops and MyTheatre plays back all available HD-chanels, as far as enough computing power is provided. Decoding is not directly made by the FireDTV-S box itself, but is done by the computers CPU instead. A System with 2.4Ghz is sufficient enough to play-back HD-1, AstraHD and ProSiebenHD in their MPEG-2 broadcasting form.
During the simulcasts of ProSieben's Blockbusters, there were some few Problems with the audio when they switched from the main movie to the commercial break and back again. Tha audio was not synchronized any more and after the switch from AC3 2.0 (stereo) to 5.1 (surround) there were some short audio dropouts. During the broadcast of Panic Room the TimeShifting had some problems and let the video stutter from time to time. This errors proved to be caused by the provider and their DPC (digital playout centre) and not by FireDTV or MyTheatre [beisammen.de]. Upscaled images of the ProSieben PAL-source was persistently played without disturbances and even conjure better images in comparison to the real PAL-broadcast, even though these images were enframed with black bars. There were no interruptions during the AC3-switching neither, and the TimeShifting worked flawlessly.
The MPEG-2 Stream, integrated in the transportstream (TS) is recorded by default. But it is also possible to be saved in pure TS, prefered by HD-fans [6][7],or even provided and streamed to other computers via the AV-Broadcaster plug-in [8][9].

3.5 Additional features

Exceedingly, the CI-slot has to be stressed, because it supports almost all popular CAMs. Thus HD-1 can be decrypted to the condition that you posess a legal smartcard and abonnement. "Normal" pay-tv channels like Canal+, Canal Digital, ORF, diverse erotic channels, etc. can also be received with the relevant CAM, and Premiere is no problem either, although it is no certified receiver for Premiere.
Besides as a connection to the computer the two FireWire ports make it possible to use it as a hub and connecting more FireWire devices. The box serves as a repater and passing through the datastreams. In that mode no port is blocked and you do not have to switch the plugs everytime when using another external device. A well sophisticated feature. Even on simultanously watching HD-1 and accessing to the hird disk drive the increased datarate does not sensible affect anything. You can also connect two PCs to that single box when active, but just one system can use it actively.
Analogue to the secondary FireWire port, there is a second antenna plug, which passes through the satellite signals.

List-of-prices: Included: Price MyTheatre 40,00€ 2x FireWire-cable 20,00€ CI-module 30,00€ Remote control 10,00€ PowerDVD5 2CH 40,00€   140,00€ Conclusion: Recapitulating you can say without doubt that this small FireDTV-S box is offering a good value for your little money: MyTheatre, two FireWire-cables, an integrated CI-slot and remote control, which current budget TV-cards usually do not offer. Furthermore a copy of PowerDVD5 2ch and of course the box itself. Sold soley the accessories would cost about 150€, but the complete box is sold for 229,00€, so the price is worth its price. A persuasive cost/performance ratio for the common client as for HD-fans. This would be enough for a recommendation to buy it. The provided good audio and video, as well as a simple handling, including relevant features for HD-fans would complete the impression of a versitile TV-receiver box. Windows User do not have to look jealously over to Apple-Users and the Elgate EyeTV, because the right counterpart is available since now. Wishes: Although most aspects were solved better than other manufacturers did there are still some bits and pieces, which would make it totally complete. Because of the included PowerDVD 2ch was not able to pass through the AC3-stream via SPDIF a transfer to the 6-channel-edition would be desirable. If you want to have the perfect picture you do not want to miss the perfect sound. Perhaps a change to PowerDVD6 shoul dbe considered, because it possesses some improvements concerning hd-play-back in general. In addition a SPDIF-port directly at the box would be definitely useful. Because finally the box was designed for the use with laptops and and most of these do not habe a SPDIF-port. The small bandwidth of broadcasting sound forth and back to the box FireWire is more than capable of. After talking to Digital-Everywhere they are already thinking about to implement these wishes. If these open points will be integrated and the next version of FireDTV-S will be able to process with the relevant future-methods MPEG-4 and DVB-S2, there will be no open wishes for an foreseeable periode in the pure essence of it smeaning! Your opinion on this movie and our review is desired. Please feel free to discuss it in our forums at Review: FireDTV-S CI, external FireWire DVB-S receiver box.

I want it!

Editorial commentaries

TimeShifting-bar

Andreas "-horn-" Hornig: You can argue about the design, but not about the achieved performance showed by FireDTV-S. I espacially like the Timeshifting mode.
If your prefered merchant or the wholesale have this box in their assortment, you definitely should have a glance on FireDTV-S. If they don't have it, there is still the way of buying it in their web-shop. The combatants have a new and hard competitor from austria.