Internet TV from Rostelecom
Many now use digital set-top boxes that work over a broadband network connection. Most recently, Rostelecom announced its TV set-top box, which came to my test.
A neat white box contains:
The device itself is quite compact and unassuming. Looking at the back panel you can see that this is the model SML-282 HD Base "Designed by SmartLabs in Moscow, Assembled in China"
')
The back panel contains outputs: Ethernet, optical S / PDIF, USB, HDMI, component video output and classic tulip for stereo audio and video.
The remote looks just gorgeous, and you can also program it to control the basic functions of the TV, such as volume control, mute, and on / off.
I got a pre-production device, the package contained only a technical manual, which was an A4 sheet describing the connection of the device. You can also learn from it that the minimum required Internet speed should be 5 Mbit / s.
For the rest, I had to figure it out myself, looking ahead, saying that control is intuitively simple, easy to understand. First of all, it is the merit of a well-thought-out menu and the presence of only the necessary minimum of buttons on the remote.
I connected the set-top box to a BenQ 24 "Full HD monitor via HDMI.
After power on, a boot window appears that lasts relatively short time.
After its completion, we get to the movie selection screen, when you click
on the remote you can watch the usual television.
Schedule programs:
Time-shift (pause, rewind TV broadcast). To watch TV - * must have * function: you can pause for sandwiches to the kitchen, or for any other need. And then squander advertising.
Interestingly, the local storage is not used for Time-shift, all information is stored in the “cloud” of the service.
You can also record any program, simply by marking it in the schedule. It will also fall into the cloud storage, the amount of which is 30 GB. For an additional fee it can be increased.
The picture quality varies greatly depending on the channel. On channels where the broadcasting is initially conducted in HD, it is not satisfactory. It should be noted that no artifacts appear during viewing.
I immediately went all-in and connected a 1.8 "hard drive to 60GB. The power supply was enough for him, and he was successfully determined with a TV set-top box. You can view your files and upload them to the cloud.
The kit from Rostelecom allows you to connect to social networks Vkontakte and Facebook. To do this, you need to specify account settings in the settings.
Dialing email and password from the remote control is not very convenient. I had an idea to try to connect a keyboard from a PC to the USB connector, and, surprisingly, it worked.
The possibilities of interaction with social networks are in their infancy, you can view your tape, only text is displayed. No pictures, no video. All hope for future firmware updates.
Choosing a movie of interest, you can see its description and price. At the moment, while the service is in test mode, all movies are free.
You can familiarize yourself with the selected film in a minute, after which you will need to purchase it, or refuse to purchase it. After confirming the purchase, viewing begins immediately.
In order to estimate the channel load, I didn’t come up with anything better than measuring the network speed on a computer connected to the same router with the set-top box turned off and on:
The results show an increase in the load of the incoming channel by an average of 7 Mbit / s.
It should be noted that the test samples work with any Internet provider (I used Beeline for testing), during commercial operation a connection from Rostelecom will be required. Personally, this fact upset me.
As long as prices are not announced officially, they will differ in different regions. Previously reported that the monthly fee will be from 220 rubles.
Connection and equipment is provided free of charge (there will be several types of consoles available from different manufacturers).
I use digital television from AKADO, so I can not compare the two services and two devices.
Rostelecom tuner has several advantages:
Much more compact size, much more beautiful and convenient remote control. Initial loading and switching between channels is faster, plus the availability of Time-Shift capabilities, recording programs and storing your files in the "cloud".
It is clear that this device is a completely new generation.
Contents of delivery
A neat white box contains:
- TV set-top box
- Power Supply
- ethernet cable
- HDMI cable
- RCA cable, tulip
- RF cable to SCART adapter
- remote control with batteries
The device itself is quite compact and unassuming. Looking at the back panel you can see that this is the model SML-282 HD Base "Designed by SmartLabs in Moscow, Assembled in China"
')
The back panel contains outputs: Ethernet, optical S / PDIF, USB, HDMI, component video output and classic tulip for stereo audio and video.
The remote looks just gorgeous, and you can also program it to control the basic functions of the TV, such as volume control, mute, and on / off.
I got a pre-production device, the package contained only a technical manual, which was an A4 sheet describing the connection of the device. You can also learn from it that the minimum required Internet speed should be 5 Mbit / s.
For the rest, I had to figure it out myself, looking ahead, saying that control is intuitively simple, easy to understand. First of all, it is the merit of a well-thought-out menu and the presence of only the necessary minimum of buttons on the remote.
I connected the set-top box to a BenQ 24 "Full HD monitor via HDMI.
After power on, a boot window appears that lasts relatively short time.
After its completion, we get to the movie selection screen, when you click
on the remote you can watch the usual television.
Additional features when watching TV
Schedule programs:
Time-shift (pause, rewind TV broadcast). To watch TV - * must have * function: you can pause for sandwiches to the kitchen, or for any other need. And then squander advertising.
Interestingly, the local storage is not used for Time-shift, all information is stored in the “cloud” of the service.
You can also record any program, simply by marking it in the schedule. It will also fall into the cloud storage, the amount of which is 30 GB. For an additional fee it can be increased.
Picture quality
The picture quality varies greatly depending on the channel. On channels where the broadcasting is initially conducted in HD, it is not satisfactory. It should be noted that no artifacts appear during viewing.
USB connection
I immediately went all-in and connected a 1.8 "hard drive to 60GB. The power supply was enough for him, and he was successfully determined with a TV set-top box. You can view your files and upload them to the cloud.
Social networks
The kit from Rostelecom allows you to connect to social networks Vkontakte and Facebook. To do this, you need to specify account settings in the settings.
Dialing email and password from the remote control is not very convenient. I had an idea to try to connect a keyboard from a PC to the USB connector, and, surprisingly, it worked.
The possibilities of interaction with social networks are in their infancy, you can view your tape, only text is displayed. No pictures, no video. All hope for future firmware updates.
Buying movies
Choosing a movie of interest, you can see its description and price. At the moment, while the service is in test mode, all movies are free.
You can familiarize yourself with the selected film in a minute, after which you will need to purchase it, or refuse to purchase it. After confirming the purchase, viewing begins immediately.
Menus and Settings
Loading channel
In order to estimate the channel load, I didn’t come up with anything better than measuring the network speed on a computer connected to the same router with the set-top box turned off and on:
The results show an increase in the load of the incoming channel by an average of 7 Mbit / s.
It should be noted that the test samples work with any Internet provider (I used Beeline for testing), during commercial operation a connection from Rostelecom will be required. Personally, this fact upset me.
Price
As long as prices are not announced officially, they will differ in different regions. Previously reported that the monthly fee will be from 220 rubles.
Connection and equipment is provided free of charge (there will be several types of consoles available from different manufacturers).
Comparison with competitors
I use digital television from AKADO, so I can not compare the two services and two devices.
Rostelecom tuner has several advantages:
Much more compact size, much more beautiful and convenient remote control. Initial loading and switching between channels is faster, plus the availability of Time-Shift capabilities, recording programs and storing your files in the "cloud".
It is clear that this device is a completely new generation.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/144073/
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