TEST REPORT DVB-T Receiver Panodic M3601E innovative user concept optimised for DVB-T reception of SD and HD channels fully-fletched integrated PVR recordings can be edited on the PC 32 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 04-05/2012 www.tele-satellite.com www.tele-satellite.com 04-05/2012 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 33
TEST REPORT DVB-T Receiver Elegant Receiver Taking Up Almost No Space At All As an avid reader of TELEsatellite you will have noticed a persistent trend in recent times: Set-top boxes are shrinking all the time and it seems the race is on to launch the smallest box. All this is not without a reason, because not everybody has enough space or technical fondness to display bulky technical gadgets in the living room. The package we received from Panodic already hinted at the rather diminutive size of the M3601E DVB-T receiver and after we had opened it all we found was a 11.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 cm black box weighing a mere 118 g. Just think of it, a piece of cheesecake is heaver than this receiver in all senses of the word! We appreciated both design and build quality of the M3601E and we almost thought it looked too good to be hidden behind a flat screen TV or attached to the wall using the wall-mounting openings on the bottom side of the box. As far as connections are concerned, this new Panodic mini-receiver sports HDMI and RF connections on the left side, as well as the obligatory power socket and connector for the separate IR receiver on the right side. We re talking about DVB-T here, so an external power unit providing a 5V current is more than enough after all, there are no LNBs requiring up to 18V from the device. Obviously, the Panodic DVB-T receiver is shipped with a remote control, but when looking at the layout of the control, there s nothing obvious about it at all. Everything seems to be upside down at first sight. What we mean by that? Well, all buttons controlling PVR functions are positioned in the uppermost section of the remote control, followed by the arrow keys that follow the conventional cross-shaped arrangement. It is only in the lower section that the numeric keypad is located. In addition, the Stop button cannot be found next to all the PVR buttons, but appears on the lower right side of the arrow keys. You might wonder what that is all about, and to be honest, so did we at first. But the manufacturer has looked at which buttons are used most frequently as well as which section of a remote can be reached most easily and then designed its remote control layout accordingly. Not such a bad move, we have to say. So that you don t have to take our word for it we asked our colleagues at the editorial office what they thought about the remote control, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. It does take some time to leave behind acquired habits and get used to it, though. Unfortunately, the external IR receiver is a component we cannot praise so highly, as it did not always pick up commands sent from the remote control. It was more point and shoot rather than remote controlling, if we wanted to make sure the receiver followed our commands. On a more positive note, the integrated LED which indicates the current operating mode (green = on, red = standby) is a very useful feature. Right after turning on the Panodic M3601E for the very 0.55 04-05/2012 Panodic M3601E DVB-T Extremely small receiver with high-sensitivity HDTV tuner www.tele-satellite.com/ TELE-satellite-1205/eng/panodic.pdf 34 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 04-05/2012 www.tele-satellite.com
first time an installation wizard pops up on the screen and smoothly runs the user through the following routines: language, location, HDMI output resolution and video aspect ratio. We liked the fact that language selection and location are interlinked, so that the receiver automatically activates the corresponding OSD language after a country has been selected. It goes without saying that the language can be changed at any time so that a Frenchman in London will also be happy, to give just one example. A list of all supported languages can be found in the Technical Data table. We mentioned different HDMI output resolutions in the installation wizard a moment ago. The following modes are available: 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i as well as 1080p, which makes this DVB-T receiver a perfect choice even for so-called Full HD. Every time this setting is changed a small window pops up asking the user to confirm the selection within 15 seconds, otherwise the receiver will switch back to the previously used format. This might not sound like such a big deal, but not all TVs are 1080p compatible and the wrong selection would create nothing but a black screen. And that means no OSD either to undo the setting. They say a small leak will sink a great ship, but with the Panodic M3601E you ll be on the safe side again after 15 seconds. The aspect ratio settings are more or less self-explanatory and considering the fact that video output invariably is via HDMI we take it as a given that virtually all users will go for 16:9. Events broadcast in 4:3 can be presented with bars on both sides or can be zoomed up to cover the entire screen, depending on your personal preferences. The initial installation process is completed with an automatic channel search that in our case took less than 60 seconds for the entire VHF and UHF frequency bands. Even though all major settings are dealt with during the installation routine we do recommend visiting the main menu for a quick look around. It is made up of the following items: Channel List Editing, System Setup, Tools, Game and Rec. Compared to satellite television, the range of DVB-T channels is small by any standard, but still Panodic offers professional channel list management even in its DVB-T receiver. Channels can be sorted alphabetically or according to FTA/encryption, they can be renamed, deleted or marked as not suitable for children. A total of eight favourites lists can be created so that even in very large families each member will have their own customised channel list. With a small receiver like the Panodic M3601E it may be necessary from time to time to clear the existing channel list and create a new one after the box was used in a different area with different local channel frequencies, for example. There is a dedicated menu item even for that procedure, and we have to say we are truly impressed by so much attention to detail. In System Setup the receiver s parameters can be adjusted to make sure it both works with your existing antenna and other equipment in the living room. The manufacturer has even added a neat wizard to help with optimum antenna alignment which is another feature we truly appreciated. Based on a previous channel search it automatically selects one of the detected frequencies and displays easy-to-view signal strength and signal quality bars. This way it is child s play to find the best possible alignment of a mobile DVB-T antenna. In case no previous channel search exists users have to manually select a reference channel for signal analysis. It is in this antenna alignment menu (and only here!) that the 5V power supply for the antenna can be turned on or off. Once the optimum alignment is achieved an automatic or manual channel search can be performed, which can be restricted to free-to-air channels only, if required. The internal clock can be set manually, but of course the time stamp transmitted via DVB-T channels can be used instead. Users only have to select their region and the receiver then automatically determines the correct time zone, i.e. the time difference to GMT. Each time zone is shown together with large cities in that particular zone, so that there is no excuse for not getting the time zone right. Automatic switching between daylight saving and standard time rounds off this very worthwhile menu item. When we opened the channel list editor for the first time we couldn t find any way to rename the eight favourites lists, but when we looked 36 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 04-05/2012 www.tele-satellite.com
1 6 2 7 3 8 4 9 5 10 11 12 13 14 15 at System Setup we were all the wiser. As a matter of fact, it is here that Panodic has added a dedicated menu item for doing just that. Plus, it is also possible here to create, display and edit up to eight timer entries as well as to protect menu access and access to certain channels with a PIN. TELE-satellite editorial staff are frequently asked what makes a great set-top box, and our answer always stays the same: A cleverly designed and implemented OSD, reliable software and a reasonable user concept. We know that shiny features like an integrated PVR, blind scan or DivX playback always catch our attention and more often than not determine which brand or model we buy, but without a perfect operating system all those features are more or less worthless. The M3601E leaves nothing to be desired, and quite frankly we did not expect anything less from Panodic. A simple touch of the OK button calls up the channel list and an info bar pops up every time we change the channel and displays the current and next event as well as date, time and additional parameters of the currently selected channel. That s all great and wonderful, but how can you plan a cosy evening in front of the telly without knowing which channel broadcasts the latest blockbuster movie, TV documentary or your favourite sports event? With the Panodic M3601E you need not worry, since it comes with a fully-fledged EPG which shows a chart with the programming of five channels at a time. Using the colour-coded function keys you can scroll through the available information on a day-by-day basis or in twohour increments. Since the M3601E also boasts full PVR functionality it is possible to mark events for recording. Picture this: You re right in the middle of a suspense movie und just before the murder mystery is solved there is somebody on the phone or at the door. Thankfully, the new Panodic DVB-T box allows for timeshift viewing, so every time somebody or something interrupts your viewing pleasure you can pause the live broadcast and continue from that very scene at a later stage. What s more, you re not limited in your choice of storage medium and can attach either a USB memory stick, external HDD or even SD memory card to the USB 2.0 port. Manual recording is another feature of this mini receiver which can stand any test, as it allows HDTV recording as well, even though it is not possible to record more than one channel simultaneously. What we truly appreciated, however, was a range of PVR setup options in the main menu which among other things lets you decide whether or not a buffered 1. Installation wizard of the Panodic M3601E 2. System setup with a number of configuration options 3. A USB memory sticks can be used to update the receiver s firmware 4. The ME3601 is a fully-fletched PVR receiver with a range of useful functions 5. Channel list editing 6. Manual channel search 7. Antenna alignment with signal indicators 8. Language settings 9. Video output formats 10. Clock adjustment 11. Manual timer entry 12. Up to eight timer entries can be saved 13. Up to eight favourites list can be renamed in the main menu 14. Music, images and videos can be played back by the receiver 15. Playing back HD videos from the Internet 38 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 04-05/2012 www.tele-satellite.com www.tele-satellite.com 04-05/2012 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 39
timeshift recording should be added automatically to a recording that is started manually. If you activate this feature you can save an entire event even though you only pressed the Rec button some time into the event. Furthermore, you can select auto standby, which turns off the receiver after a recording is completed. This particular option will definitely prove its worth in everyday use, but can of course be turned off if not required. The PVR functions are rounded off with MP3 playback, photo presentations on the TV screen as well as playing back VOB, MPEG, TS, MKV and DivX videos downloaded from the Internet. An essential part of our test routine involves analysis of audio and video quality and we can firmly say that the tiny Panodic receiver passed with flying colours. Thanks to its HDMI output it provided excellent video to both our 52-inch plasma and a 22-inch LCD for mobile use. We were truly impressed by this topquality performance, which incidentally also goes for the audio output. The fact that the M3601E s built-in tuner is only DVB-T compatible is a minor drawback, because this means HDTV reception is not possible in regions that have implemented DVB-T2 for HDTV (such as Great Britain, among others). MPEG-4 is only broadcast via DVB-T2 at our test location as well, so we decided to pick up MPEG-4 signals from INTELSAT 904 at 60 East and EUTELSAT W9A at 9 West and then modulated these signals onto a standard DVB-T carrier. Surprise, surprise: All of a sudden we were able to receive some Russian SD channels (from 60 East) plus Fashion One from the United States (from 9 East) in brilliant high-definition quality. This only goes to show that the chipset of the DVB-T receiver is fully HDTV (MPEG4/H.264) compatible, but does not support DVB-T2. If you live in a market that has specified DVB-T with MPEG-4 the M3601E will be perfectly suited to your requirements. A small box like this Panodic receiver lends itself to mobile use, so we also found out how it deals with weak signals a situation we are often faced with when out and about. No matter how weak the signal, and no matter how many artificially inserted error bits (yes, we really added error bits into a DVB-T signal until the data stream became virtually useless for reasonable video!), the software of the box never froze but instead did its job with remarkable steadfastness. Yet, Panodic never stops improving its set-top boxes and will make available firmware updates from time to time 16 19 22 17 20 23 18 21 24 via its website. Those software updates can easily be performed using any USB storage medium. If you think the list of features has already grown too long for a box of this size, we may have to prove you wrong one last time. The Panodic M3601E comes with two integrated video games (Othello and Sudoku) which might come handy when a 25 16. PVR settings 17. MPEG-4/H.264 HDTV reception with DVB-T 18. Automatic channel search 19. Info bar with information on current and next event 20. EPG showing five channels 21. Timer entries can be created right from the EPG 22. Audio selection 23. Playing back a previously recorded event 24. Display of current recording 25. Events recorded by the M3601E can easily be edited or saved onto a DVD using a PC 40 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 04-05/2012 www.tele-satellite.com www.tele-satellite.com 04-05/2012 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 41
commercial break just drags on for too long. Model Function Manufacturer TECHNICAL DATA Panodic M3601E Tel +86-755-8659 0230 Email Website Input frequency EPG Supported standards Video resolution RS232 Ethernet Mini Receiver with HDMI and PVR Panodic, 12/F Grentech Building, Keji C Road 3rd, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China market@micoelectric.com www.panodic.com UHF (474-858 MHz) VHF (177.5-226.5 MHz) yes MPEG4 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p no no In summary, testing the new Panodic DVB-T receiver was more than just our job. Rather, we truly enjoyed every step of the way. What we discovered was a sophisticated set-top box offering not only technically mature software but also a very small size. This way it will blend in nicely with the rest of your living room equipment, but will also be a perfect companion while camping or staying at your holiday home. USB 2.0 yes HDTV yes (only via ) MPEG4/H.264 yes (only via ) Supportes languages/regions English, French, German, Spanish, Italien, Greek, Portugiese, Russian, Polish, Croatian, Slovenian + Easy to operate DVB-T receiver with userfriendly OSD. The unconventional design of the remote control requires some getting used to, but then proves it has been developed with users in mind. The ME3601E sports a wide range of useful features. Apparent Power Active Power Experte Opinion ENERGY DIAGRAM Mode Apparent Active Factor Active 9 W 5 W 0.55 StandBy 0 W 0 W 1 Thomas Haring TELE-satellite Test Center Austria The external IR receiver does not pick up commands easily and must be pointed at very accurately with the remote control. Unfortunately, DVB-T2 is not supported. Active use with recording, playback, channel switching, etc. during the first 15 minutes. Standby during the second 15 minutes. 42 TELE-satellite International The World s Largest Digital TV Trade Magazine 04-05/2012 www.tele-satellite.com