TEST REPORT

DVB-T Mini Receiver

Panodic
HDT-127A

very small receiver with HDTV with PVR very small remote control big plus: USB connection on the front panel

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TEST REPORT

DVB-T Mini Receiver

06-07-08/2012
Panodic HDT-127A DVB-T Perfectly equipped DVB-T mini receiver www.TELE-satellite.com/12/07/panodic

Space-saving and Elegant DVB-T Receiver

The Panodic company slogan is Digital World. Simple Life. and the HDT-127A lives up to that promise. Were talking about an elegant DVB-T set-top box that is small yet easy to use and filled to the brim with useful features. Measuring only 190 x 120 x 35 mm it will fit into any TV cabinet and blend in nicely thanks to its unobtrusive overall appearance. But dont be deceived by its small size: With all the functions it has in store it will please even the most discerning users. A four-digit segment display on the front panel shows either the channel number of the currently selected station or the time when in standby mode. In addition, an LED indicates the operating mode of the receiver which can be changed with the On/Standby button that is located right next to it. During our test we came to appreciate the USB 2.0 interface right on the front panel this way its much less hassle to connect and disconnect a USB storage medium. If we now turn around the receiver to have a look at the rear panel we can find the RF input as well as loopthrough output, HDMI for high-definition video and audio output, a scart euroconnector for hooking up standard-definition TV sets, as well as three RCA jacks for stereo audio and CVBS video. A coax digital audio output for digital sound rounds off the connection options. The only thing that is lacking is a mechanical power switch to fully disconnect the box from the mains. The remote control that is shipped together with the receiver comes with clearly labelled buttons offering a very pleasant pressure point. Like the receiver itself the remote is very small in size and it should be used within a three metre radius from the receiver if you want to make sure the box listens to all of your commands.

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The level of workmanship of the HDT-127A is rather high, but we would not have expected anything less from Panodic. Most receivers these days feature an installation wizard that guides users through the initial set-up routine, and the new Panodic HDT-127A is no exception. What is new, however, is the user experience offered by this box: While most manufacturers lead users to a number of windows in which individual settings can be adjusted, Panodic has arranged the four most important sections (region, language, video resolution, video aspect) in a single window.

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Depending on the region you select the receiver automatically suggests the corresponding language for the on-screen display, which we found rather convenient. It goes without saying that this selection is not set in stone and you may of course choose French as your language of choice even though you use the receiver in Germany, for example. In terms of video output resolutions, the following options are available: 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p, which makes HDT127A a perfect match for future transmissions with full HD resolution as well. Whenever you change the resolution you have 15 seconds to confirm the new resolution, and if you fail to do so the box goes back to the previously set video format. No more despair in front of a black screen, caused by a resolution that is not supported by your TV panel. A small step in terms of technology, a giant leap in terms of user-friendliness, so to speak. In addition, you can set the video output to either 4:3 (pan & scan or letter box), 16:9 or Auto, which means the receiver adjusts the aspect ratio automatically. Once all parameters in the four sections are set by the user the next step is an automatic channel search across the entire VHF and UHF bands. In our case the HDT-127A took slightly more than 90 seconds and detected all active DVB-T frequencies. As soon as that process is completed the receiver switches to the first found channel. Now, let the viewing pleasure begin Contrary to satellite TV reception with hundreds or even thousands of channels the DVB-T offering usually hovers around a dozen or so stations, with some regions boasting more variety than others. Nonetheless, Panodic has chosen to implement the entire range of channel management and editing functions. It is possible to delete, move, rename or PIN-lock individual entries or to mark channels for skipping. With a total of eight favourites list all members of your family are guaranteed their own personalised channel line-up. In case not all channels were found by the receiver during the initial automatic search or new channels have become available, it is possible at any time to access the installation menu and repeat the search you may even choose whether or not to look for encrypted channels as well. If need be, a manual search is available too, which lets you enter either the required frequency or the channel number in the VHF or UHF band. There is even a dedicated menu item for antenna adjustment, which calls up two signal bars (indicating quality and strength) in order to move the antenna until the two bars show the best possible values. Use this menu item to also select whether or not the coax cable should provide 5V current to the antenna, which is required for an active antenna. All remaining set-up options of the main menu consist of the usual parameters such as audio language, teletext, subtitles and digital audio output in either the BS or LPCM format. The internal clock of the HDT-127A can be set manually, or the receiver can read out the correct time from the DVB-T data stream. To make sure the right time for your location is shown it is not necessary to indicate the time difference to GMT (as is the case with many other manufacturers) but only to select your region from a list. The receiver even shows a number of major cities in each time zone, so that you couldnt possible get it wrong. Talk about user-friendliness! The Panodic HDT-127A is a PVR receiver and that is why

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a dedicated menu item is available for PVR functions. Here you can permanently activate timeshift viewing, select a partition of the external USB storage medium for recordings and request the receiver to automatically add the timeshift buffer to a recording that is started manually. In our opinion, this is a particularly convenient feature as it makes sure you can save an entire program even though you only initiate the recording some time into the broadcast. Once all settings are taken care of and the receiver is hooked up to all existing equipment it is finally time to do what that neat little DVB-T box is made for: watch TV! As usual, pressing the OK button on the remote calls up the channel list. Not so usual is the fact that the left/right buttons can be used to access and switch between the favourites lists, a feature that we truly came to appreciate during our test. A cleverly designed and easy to read info bar pops up every time a new channel is selected, showing the title of the current and next events if this information is provided by the channel. The HDT-127A takes approximately one second to switch between channels, which puts a lot of fun into zapping. We were impressed with the video and audio quality delivered by this DVB-T receiver: If you make use of the HDMI connection youll be spoilt with crisp and sharp images and true-to-life colours, while the coax digital audio output offered a flawless soundtrack to our DD 5.1 home theatre receiver. While the HDT-127A only supports DVB-T and cannot process DVB-T2 signals, it is nonetheless capable of dealing with HDTV broadcasts transmitted in MPEG4. Such signals are not available at our location, which is why we decided to convert the signals of two satellite transponders to an MPEG4 DVB-T frequency so that we were able to check the boxs worth in terms of HDTV functionality. To that end we used HispanTV from EUTELSAT 7A 7 East and the Saudi Sports transponder from BADR 26 East. HispanTV uses MPEG4 SD as transmission standard, while Saudi Sports channels come in MPEG4 HD. As expected, all channels were processed by the HDT-127A smoothly and without any glitches whatsoever. Picture this: Youre relaxing in front of the telly after a busy day at work only to find out that your significant other has thrown away todays paper with the TV listings. Not a problem at all simply press the EPG button on the remote and let your receiver spell out everything thats on TV tonight. Detailed program information for up to five channels is displayed in a grid layout. It is possible to jump back and forth in steps of two hours or one full day, up to a maximum preview for seven days. If youre aiming for

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1. Installation wizard of the HDT-127A 2. A new resolution needs to be confirmed within 15 seconds, otherwise the receiver will switch back to the last working resolution 3. Automatic channel search 4. The channel list can be managed and edited in numerous ways 5. Entering the frequency number for a manual search 6. The Panodic HDT-127A can even assist with correct antenna alignment 7. Language selection 8. Setting the correct time 9. Timer entries can be created for daily, weekly or monthly recordings 10. A total of eight timer entries are available and can be assigned individual names

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11. Software updates make sure the receiver stays up-to-date 12. MP3 jukebox 13. Picture viewer 14. PVR options 15. Teletext decoder 16. The remaining recording capacity is shown every time a new recording starts 17. Channel list 18. EPG information for five channels 19. Reception of Hispan TV in MPEG-4 (SD)

convenient features such as creating timer entries right from the EPG and recording daily, weekly or monthly events, then you need not look further. The PVR functions of the HDT-127A are on a par with the best on the market and make sure youll never miss your favourite show again. If youre still not entirely

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satisfied, the following list will definitely win you over: Theres a built-in teletext decoder, selection of audio tracks and subtitles (if provided by the channel) and dedicated button for changing the video resolution on the go. Whats more, thanks to a specific Timer button on the remote you can immediately access and edit up to eight timer entries of the HDT-127A. Even though the model name does not immediately give it away, the Panodic HDT-127A comes with a USB 2.0 connection on the front panel and can therefore easily be turned into a fully-fledged PVR receiver by simply hooking up an external storage medium. When tested, all PVR functions performed smoothly, but we should mention at this point that only one recording can be made at a time. It is, however, possible to watch a different channel live, as long as it is transmitted on the same frequency as the recorded channel. We did like the remaining recording time that is shown whenever a recording is started. This way you easily find out whether or not the entire recording will fit on your storage medium, particularly when you use USB sticks or the like with limited storage capacity. We created a total of eight timer entries, all of which were completed and recorded with absolute reliability by the new Panodic mini receiver. We have come to expect that a modern PVR receiver can play back MP3 and WMA files, and it goes without saying that the HDT-127A easily meets this requirement and can be used as a jukebox without further ado. JPEG and BMP images are also supported, so why not use the tiny Panodic box for your next slide show when friends are over at your place? If youre a movie buff you can even download AVI, MPEG, TS and DivX movies from the Internet and play them back with the HDT127A. We tried that feature with SD and HD content and can confirm that both were processed flawlessly. Panodic is always looking to maintain its cutting edge, which means their firmware and operating software are subject to continuous improvement. New software can be copied into a USB storage medium and installed on the receiver thanks to its USB connection. And if those commercial breaks seem to be dragging on forever, why not kill time with Othello or Sudoku, two built-in video games? The Panodic HDT-127A is a small yet elegant DVB-T receiver that will please the whole family no end while offering top-notch features and functions. It passed our test with flying colours and turned out to be an absolutely reliable performer.

Expert Opinion

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fully-fledged receiver with built-in PVR functions comes with integrated EPG and teletext decoder fast channel switching for zapping fun intelligent adjustment of region/language and local time timeshift buffer can be added to a recording only eight timer entries for recordings

Thomas Haring TELE-satellite Test Center Austria

TECHNICAL
DATA
Manufacturer Address Panodic 12/F, Grentech Building, Keji.C. Road 3rd Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan District Shenzhen, China +86-755-8659 0230 www.panodic.com/Contact.aspx www.panodic.com HDT-127A Small yes 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p no no yes yes (via yes (via ) ) HD PVR Receiver VHF (177.5-226.5 MHz) UHF (474-858 MHz)

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20. Saudi Sports 1 logo (HD) 21. Reception of Saudi Sports 2 (HD) 22. Technical parameters of the currently received channel 23. Info bar 24. List of existing recordings

Tel. Email Internet Model Function Input frequency EPG Supported standards Video resolution RS232 Ethernet USB 2.0 HDTV MPEG4/H.264 Supportes languages/regions

English, French, German, Spanish, Italien, Greek, Portugiese, Russian, Polish, Croatian, Slovenian, Australian

ENERGY
DIAGRAM
Apparent Power

Active Power

Mode Active StandBy

Apparent Active Factor 11 W 7W 0.63 2.5 W 0.5 W 0.2

Active use with channel switching, recording, playback etc. during the first 15 minutes, followed by 15 minutes in standby mode.

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