CryptoBox  550  HD  -­‐  a  worthy  successor  to  the  450HD  model  

 

 

Original  text:   http://www.parabola.cz/clanky/4719/cryptobox-­‐550-­‐hd-­‐dustojny-­‐nastupce-­‐modelu-­‐

450hd/  

11  months  ago  I  reviewed  CryptoBox  450HD  receiver  (link),  now  I  would  like  to  introduce  its   successor  named  CryptoBox  550HD.  This  is  a  complete  novelty  that  is  being  launched  on  the  market   at  this  time,  and,  in  comparison  to  the  older  model,  newer  design  is  obvious  at  first  glance.  

 

As  for  dimensions,  this  receiver  is  smaller  (260  x  45  x  200  mm  =  l  -­‐  h  -­‐  w);  however,  it  makes  it  up  with   its  performance  and  features.  This  is  a  receiver  with  one  DVB-­‐S  /  DVB-­‐S2  tuner,  which  also  affects  the   target  group  of  customers.  We'll  gradually  get  to  further  features;  let's  just  start  at  the  very   beginning  for  now.  

The  box  is  stylish,  of  corresponding  size  of  the  receiver  and  presenting  the  features  and  abilities  of   the  model  inside.  

 

The  content  itself  is  minimized  to  the  receiver,  a  remote  control  with  batteries,  and  instructions   printed  in  Czech,  Slovak,  English  and  German.  

 

The  remote  control  is  very  elegant,  in  shiny  plastic  and  slightly  curved  for  easier  grip  in  hand.  

However,  a  little  more  focus  and  practice  is  necessary  to  find  and  control  switching  channels  and   volume  with  arrow  buttons.  These  keys  are  not  separated  from  the  others  and  to  find  them  without   looking  at  the  remote  control  is  a  bit  difficult.  The  OK  and  arrow  buttons  are  more  durable,  attached   to  the  board  of  the  remote  control.  The  others  are  classic  rubber  buttons,  directly  touching  the  board   of  the  RC.  Button  description  is  clear,  bright,  and  easy  to  read,  and  corresponds  to  all  functions.  

 

The  front  of  the  receiver  offers  the  most  important  what  a  user  needs  for  manual  control:  power   button  and  buttons  for  switching  channels  up  and  down.  

 

On  the  left,  there  is  a  large  and  clear  VFD  display  with  the  ability  to  legibly  display  also  characters  

(the  last  model  had  only  a  7-­‐segment  LED  display),  and  on  its  right  side,  we  can  immediately  see  the   quality  and  signal  strength  scale.  Then,  in  the  menu,  it  is  possible  to  configure  the  display  to  show  a   channel  name  full  or  scrolling,  as  well  as  the  local  time  in  the  off-­‐state.  Display  brightness  can  also  be   adjusted,  so  that  it  is  not  a  disturbing  element  in  a  dark  room.  

 

On  the  right  side  of  the  front  panel  under  the  lid  we'll  find  a  single  access  card  slot,  one  slot  for  the  

CAM  module  access  and  a  USB  2.0  port  has  been  added,  which  can  be  used  to  connect  recording   devices  including  flash  drives  for  storing  satellite  programs,  media  playback,  firmware  updates,   backup  settings  ,  channels,  and  favorite  lists.  The  firmware  supports  external  media  format  FAT32   and  NTFS.  

 

The  rear  panel  provides  the  entire  standard  interface  for  connecting  other  devices  in  the  household.  

In  addition,  all  connectors  have  a  description  to  avoid  confusion.  Obviously  it  is  appreciated   especially  in  the  case  of  an  LNB  input.  I'm  very  positive  about  the  power  switch  and  the  fact  that  it  is   possible  to  completely  disconnect  the  receiver  from  the  power.  It  is  becoming  a  standard  of  small   devices  with  an  integrated  source  that  the  power  cord  is  connected  permanently.  Another  change,   compared  to  the  older  model,  is  an  optical  digital  audio  output.  Most  importantly,  there  is  the   second  USB  2.0  port  and,  therefore,  the  receiver  can  connect  two  USB  devices  simultaneously,  which   is  especially  appreciated  by  owners  of  Wi-­‐Fi  USB  dongle  who  want  to  be  connected  wirelessly  to  the  

Internet  while  recording  programs  or  playing  multimedia  files.  

 

Again,  we  have  been  allowed  to  peek  into  the  very  bowels  of  the  loaned  receiver.  Only  three  rear   screws  hold  the  top  cover.  The  receiver  has  several  interconnected  boards  which  are  dominated  by   the  motherboard  and  a  separate  power  source.  

 

The  satellite  tuner  is  on  a  separate  board,  it  is  connected  to  the  main  board  with  a  connector  series.  

It  works  with  signal  level  from  -­‐65  to  -­‐25  dBm,  the  frequency  range  from  950  MHz  to  2150  MHz  and   power  polarization:  vertical:  +13  V  /  +14  V,  horizontal:  +18  V  /  +19  V.  Naturally,    the  tuner  manages   to  control  other  devices  connected  to  the  cable  with  standard  DiSEqC  1.0/1.1/1.2/1.3  and  USALS  

13V/18V,  0/22K.  One  can  still  only  assume  that  by  replacing  this  module,  the  receiver  can  be  turned   into  a  model  that  can  receive  terrestrial  or  cable  signal.  

 

Beneath  a  passive  cooler,  the  motherboard  conceals  ALI3606  processor,  RAM  DDR  II  128  MB  in  its   neighborhood,  and  flash  memory  8  MB,  which  manages  to  save  up  to  6000  TV  /  Radio  channels  in  up   to  8  favorite  groups.  Graphic  part,  serving  the  DHMI  connector,  can  handle  1080p,  1080i,  720p,  576p,  

576i,  480p  and  480i  resolution,  and  thus  the  receiver  can  be  connected  to  any  TV  equipped  with  an  

HDMI  connector,  and  fully  exploits  the  maximum  resolution  and  adapts  accordingly  the  quality  of  the   received  image.  

 

The  power  supply  is  simple,  including  all  connectors  detachable  for  easy  replacement  or  repair.  In  a   fully  functional  state  the  receiver  consumes  at  most  25W.  

 

The  front  panel  has  a  separate  board  for  the  VFD  display  and  front  control  buttons,  USB  connector  is   just  an  attached  USB  extension  cable  -­‐  but  fully  functional  and  thus  we  can  see  that  "the  purpose   justifies  the  means".  Access  card  reader  is  not  wearing  any  electronics,  and  it  is  connected  directly  to   the  motherboard  via  flat  cable.  

 

And  it  is  practically  the  whole  tour  inside,  simple  assembly  guarantees  a  fully  functional  product,  and   now  we  can  begin  the  exploration  of  software  and  user  interface.  

When  switched  on,  we'll  see  the  Welcome  screen  and  the  BOOT  inscription  on  the  display  describes   the  firmware  implementation  from  the  flash  memory.  The  whole  process  takes  about  30  seconds.  

 

If  the  receiver  is  running  for  the  first  time  (or  “Restore  factory  settings”  was  selected),  it  starts  with  a   simple  guide  to  help  us  set  the  receiver.  At  first  we  are  asked  about  the  language  of  the  Menu.  

 

This  is  followed  by  setting  the  time,  the  satellite  configuration  and  the  new  Fast  Scan  feature  that   searches  for  channels  by  a  given  the  provider.  Sometimes  there  is  no  need  to  search  and  store  all   providers  on  all  satellites;  we  need  just  one  provider  with  their  offer.  It  is  precisely  this  new  feature   that  enables  us  to  save  all  the  necessary  channels  without  overloading  the  memory  of  the  receiver   with  hundreds  of  channels  that  are  difficult  to  orientate  in  and  thus  we  are  not  forced  to  tediously   create  sets  of  favorite  channels.  

 

 

The  course  of  search  is  very  fast  compared  to  other  receivers  I  have  tested,  the  CryptoBox  550HD   receiver,  for  example,  searched  the  19.2  E  Astra  in  less  than  3  minutes.  Normally,  two  search  listings   are  gradually  displayed,  TV  channels  and  Radio  stations  separately.  

 

This  way  the  receiver  is  tuned;  now  let's  take  a  look  at  menu  items  in  detail.  The  basic  menu  is   divided  into  five  groups:  Installation,  Edit  Channel,  Settings,  X-­‐tras  and  Multimedia.  The  menu  is   clear,  all  items  are  accurately  described.  

 

The  Installation  includes  everything  needed  for  Antenna  Settings,  including  the  Motor,  Scan  Mode,   and  there  is  also  the  Factory  Default  possibility.  Menu  for  the  Antenna  Settings  is  the  same  as  in  the   initial  guide,  as  well  as  the  Fast  Scan  feature.  

 

Factory  Default  does  not  mean  only  the  complete  removal  of  all  data,  but  it  can  clear  only  certain   channels  found  and  then  find  them  again.  

 

In  the  USALS  Setup  we  can  change  the  parameters  of  the  receiver’s  location  on  the  globe,  according   to  which  the  correctly  mounted  motor  finds  the  position  of  satellites  sought.  

 

Another  item  of  the  Main  Menu  is  Edit  Channel.  It's  possible  to  work  with  TV  and  radio  channels   separately,  place  them  into  Favorites  lists,  sort  the  channels,  and,  in  the  last  item  User  Chanel  List,   we  can  save  the  list  to  USB  devices  or  load  user  data.  This  option  is  also  a  novelty,  which  allows  us  to   transfer  arduously  created  lists  of  channels  not  only  between  the  same  models  of  receivers,  but  even   between  other  different  models  of  this  novelty  series  -­‐  at  present  there  is  another  model  CryptoBox  

500HD  (with  no  VFD  display).  In  “Sort  Channels”  option,  we  can  specify  how  the  channels  are   arranged  after  displaying  the  main  list  with  the  OK  button  while  watching  a  program.  

 

Channels  manipulation  means  moving  them  within  the  list,  deleting,  renaming  or  locking.  In  the  list   you  can  select  channels  of  all  or  only  certain  satellites,  then  we  see  parameters  for  each  channel,  and   the  green  dollar  indicates  that  a  given  channel  is  encoded.  

 

If  you  want  to  place  channels  into  different  lists  according  to  popularity,  use  the  Favorites  menu.  

Each  favorite  list  can  then  be  renamed  as  needed,  using  a  virtual  keyboard  that  accompanies  us  

through  all  character  settings  of  the  receiver.  It  is  controlled  using  the  arrow  keys  and  the  OK  button   of  the  remote  control  -­‐  numbers  can  be  entered  by  numeric  buttons  of  the  RC.  Each  channel  can  then   be  added  into  the  desired  list  using  a  colored  button.  

The  third  item  in  the  Main  Menu  allows  setting  all  the  parameters  of  the  receiver  so  that  it  reflects   other  electronic  equipment,  our  habits  and  requirements  that  may  affect  the  control  of  the  receiver   or  watching  programs.  I  will  not  give  details  of  all  the  settings,  we  can  say  that  they  are  generally   known  and  fully  reflect  the  present  needs  of  common  configuration,  such  as  language,  time,  menu   transparency,  TV    size  and  definition,  information  bar,  network  settings,  firmware  updates,  etc.  

 

Let's  just  stop  a  little  at  the  possibility  of  Low  Power  Standby  at  the  shutdown  of  the  receiver.  This   option  is  normally  turned  on,  so  if  the  receiver  is  in  this  mode,  it  shuts  down  completely.  At  this  point   its  power  consumption  is  very  low,  however,  switching-­‐on  is  very  time  consuming  because  the   receiver  begins  to  load  the  firmware  from  the  beginning.  This  procedure  takes  about  30  seconds  and   may  be  very  inconvenient  for  some  users.  Thus,  it  cannot  automatically  record  programs  stored  in   the  timer  at  the  same  time.  If  Low  Power  Standby  is  switched  off,  the  receiver  quickly  falls  asleep  and   wakes  up  very  fast  (in  about  3  seconds),  and  the  timer  works  correctly  with  all  the  recordings.  

 

Two  more  menu  items,  X-­‐tras  and  Multimedia,  are  available  immediately,  directly  from  the  remote   control  because  they  turn  the  receiver  into  a  multifunctional  device  that  uses  Internet  connection   and  can  play  media  files.  X-­‐tras  offers  the  use  of  Calendar,  including  the  possibility  of  adding  memos   and  comments,  and  simple  games  to  pass  the  free  time  while  waiting  for  a  favorite  show.  

 

The  third  menu  item  is  Network  Apps  that  use  Internet  connection  and  can  display  various  data  and   even  videos  from  the  popular  YouTube.  

 

A  new  application  is  FTP  Download,  which  allows  connectivity  to  other  data  sources  using  the  FTP   protocol.  This  feature  is  another  step  forward  in  the  use  of  satellite  receivers  as  home   communication  centers.  In  particular,  it  may  save  the  cost  of  electricity  when  transferring  large  files,   so  you  do  not  need  to  leave  your  desktop  computer  turned  on,  because  a  receiver  with  a  hard  drive   connected  is  just  sufficient  enough.  We  only  need  to  enter  basic  parameters  for  connection  and   select  the  Connect  Net  option.  

 

If  the  parameters  are  correct,  the  basic  folder  of  the  FTP  server  with  its  files  appears.  Files  can  then   be  downloaded  to  your  hard  drive  connected  to  the  receiver.  

 

There  are  more  things  to  do  in  the  FTP  browser.  The  tools  include  all  the  usual  utilities  for   manipulation  with  files.  This  is  not  just  about  renaming  or  deleting,  but  also  copying  or  moving  files   between  folders,  or  creating  new  folders.  By  creating  play  lists,  you  can  make  lists  of  files  from   different  folders,  which  will  be  played  in  a  selected  sequence  in  a  row.  The  Upload  option  allows   transfer  of  files  between  the  connected  FTP  server  and  a  USB  recording  device  connected  to  the   receiver.  

 

 In  the  last  menu  item,  PVR  settings,  it  is  possible  to  test  the  speed  of  the  USB  drive  itself,  so  that  we   learn  what  activities  the  drive  can  handle  all  at  once  (SD  =  save  SD  channels,  HD  =  save  HD  channels,  

HD  +  TMS  =  record  HD  channels  while  using  Time-­‐shift).  The  result  is  a  bar  chart  describing  the   activities  and  actual  speed  of  reading  and  writing  data  on  a  connected  drive.  

 

Other  network  apps  are  already  known  from  other  receivers;  again,  their  use  should  reduce  the  need   of  using  a  computer  or  a  cell  phone.  In  addition,  they  are  clearer,  friendlier  and  more  accessible  than   similar  versions  in  the  teletext  form.  Because  all  the  tools  are  in  the  Network  Applications  folder,  it  is   assumed  that  the  receiver  is  connected  to  the  Internet  for  their  use.  For  Weather  it's  necessary  just   to  set  the  required  city  and  it  immediately  shows  the  current  situation  as  well  as  the  forecast  for  next  

5  days.  

 

RSS  reader  can  download  the  latest  news  from  sites  that  can  be  added  as  you  like.  Thus  we  can   always  access  the  latest  information  and  do  not  have  to  search  hard  in  the  teletext  or  using  a  desktop   computer.  

 

Currency  convertor  can  recalculate  two  chosen  currencies  according  to  the  latest  exchange  rate.  

Stock  View  shows  the  most  common  stock  exchanges  and  their  indexes.  

 

 

YouTube  player  allows  us  to  connect  to  the  largest  source  of  Internet  videos  on  YouTube,  and  it  also   enables  searching  of  stored  programs  according  to  specified  keywords.  

 

The  actual  video  display  can  then  be  reduced  into  a  box  right  next  to  the  search  result  list,  or  a   selected  video  can  be  viewed  on  full  screen  TV.  

 

The  last  option  is  Multimedia.  This  menu  can  be  directly  accessed  by  pressing  a  single  button  of  the   remote  control.  Here  is  an  overview  of  files  on  a  connected  recording  device  with  the  possibility  of   sorting  by  file  type.  PVR  includes  stored  records,  Software  offers  new  firmware  to  update,  and  other   descriptions  are  obvious.  In  the  lower  part  there  are  tools  for  managing  these  files,  their  meaning  is   the  same  as  in  the  menu  of  the  FTP  browser.  One  of  the  news  is  the  possibility  of  sending  and   receiving  files  via  FTP  protocol  between  receivers  or  FTP  servers  in  the  local  network  or  on  the  

Internet.  

 

Media  player  handles  multimedia  file  formats:  JPEG,  BMP,  MP3,  OGG,  FLAC,  AVI,  MKV,  TS,  TP,  TRP,  

MPG,  MP4.  Control  and  imaging  is  similar  to  the  previous  model  reviewed,  so  there  is  no  need  to   discuss  it  in  detail.  In  the  tests,  the  player  managed  to  play  high-­‐resolution  movies  without  any   problems;  images  can  be  viewed  as  a  slide  show  with  an  adjustable  delay.  

 

Hereby  I  have  fully  described  all  the  menu  offers  and  new  features;  we  have  also  demonstrated   innovative  design  and  user-­‐friendly  operation.  Let's  proceed  with  the  description  of  the  satellite   channels  view,  recording  options  and  program  playing,  as  well  as  other  details  related  to  the  main   use  of  the  satellite  receiver.  Predictably,  displaying  all  channels  with  low  and  high  resolution  was   absolutely  trouble  free,  free  channels  switch  over  up  to  one  second,  encoded  channel  switching  is  up   to  two  seconds.  Internal  card  reader  is  MultiCAS  and  handles  all  common  coding  systems.  I  have  tried   mostly  cards  by  Czech  providers  and  the  receiver  had  no  problems  with  any  of  them,  including  the   latest  Irdeto  CSlink  and  Skylink  cards.  Another  innovation  in  displaying  channel  information  bar  is  a   progressive  diagram  of  the  quality  of  the  received  signal  in  the  lower  right  part.  The  window  with   detailed  information  about  a  program  is  rather  unnecessarily  small,  and  the  reader  will  have  to  use   arrows  to  scroll  down  to  read  everything.  

 

Teletext  including  extended  characters  is  also  necessity.  

 

Electronic  Program  Guide  may  be  displayed  either  for  individual  channels  with  daily  details,  or  for   each  channel  with  a  single  line  description  of  current  programs  as  well  as  a  time  bar  for  better   orientation  of  the  duration  of  each  program  .  Color  key  then  determines  functions  of  colored  buttons   of  the  remote  control.  

 

Watching  a  channel  is  one  thing,  but  with  a  USB  drive  connected  we  can  also  record  programs,  either   manually,  or  using  a  timer  (see  the  red  button  from  previous  images).  When  you  press  the  Record   button  on  the  remote  control,  the  program  immediately  starts  being  recorded.  An  icon  in  the  top  left   part  of  the  screen  informs  us  about  recording  and  the  length  of  the  footage.  Because  the  receiver  has   only  one  tuner,  it's  possible  to  switch  over  to  other  channels  during  recording,  but  only  those  on  the   same  transponder.  

 

To  test  recording,  I  tried  both  a  flash  disk  and  a  USB  hard  drive.  No  device  had  a  problem  with   recording  and  subsequent  replay.    For  overload  testing  I  was  recording  one  channel,  switched  to   another  one  and  tried  recording  it.  This  was  launched  and  I  was  also  informed  about  the  start  of   saving  on  the  hard  drive  on  the  second  channel.  While  running  double  recording,  I  switched  to  the   third  channel  of  the  same  transponder  without  any  problems.  This  one,  however,  was  not  possible  to   be  recorded.  Recording  two  channels  simultaneously  and  switching  to  a  third  one  is  possible  only  if   the  first  and  second  recorded  are  SD.  When  you  first  record  a  HD  channel,  then  you  cannot  even   switch  to  another  channel.  

 

If  you  are  recording  multiple  channels,  then  when  you  try  to  stop  recording,  you  are  asked  which   channel  you  want  to  stop  recording.  If  only  one  channel  is  being  recorded,  then  you  are  asked  to   confirm  the  completion  of  recording.  This  prevents  accidental  termination  when  you  press  the  wrong   button  of  the  RC.  

 

In  order  to  play  the  recordings,  just  enter  the  menu,  select  Multimedia  and  the  ALIDVRS2  folder.  

There  are  stored  all  the  recordings,  and  file  names  are  created  according  to  the  channel  name  and   the  program  recorded  in  EPG.  The  storage  format  is  TS  and  the  data  is  stored  encrypted.  This  means   that  files  cannot  be  normally  played  on  your  computer,  for  it  may  lead  to  copyright  infringement.  

However,  the  system  stores  information  about  the  program  and  its  decoding  on  the  drive,  so  it  is   possible  to  watch  an  encoded  program  also  in  the  absence  of  an  access  card.  It  is  only  a  matter  of   time  until  players  for  personal  computers  are  launched  that  can  connect  the  time  stream  saved  and   the  data  to  decode  in  order  to  watch  the  program  on  the  computer  as  well.  

 

If  you  press  the  Play  button  on  the  remote  control,  a  list  of  recordings  directly  appears  with  a   preview.  You  can  then  decide  whether  to  watch  the  program  just  in  the  preview  window  or  full   screen.  

 

Another,  now  a  common  feature  of  receivers  with  USB  HDD,  is  the  ability  to  pause  a  live  TV  show,   which  immediately  starts  being  recorded  on  the  disk.  This  feature  is  known  as  Timeshift.  Then  we  can   continue  watching  the  show  from  where  we  stopped  it,  the  live  broadcast  still  being  stored  on  the   disk.  We  can  even  fast-­‐forward  the  recording,  stop  it  again  or  skip  the  whole  passages  (e.g.   commercial  breaks).  Termination  of  this  function  returns  live  broadcasting  of  the  current  program.  

 

The  bar  at  the  bottom  shows  the  current  position  of  the  recording  being  watched,  as  well  as  the  total   duration  of  the  recording  stored.  

 

The  new  CryptoBox  550HD  receiver  is  an  improved  successor  to  the  popular  previous  model  450HD;   all  improvements  are  very  successful  and  contribute  to  the  overall  high  utility  value  of  the  receiver.  A   common  final  customer  will  appreciate  the  ease  of  installation  and  use,  which  in  no  way  implies  a   low  image  quality  or  comfort,  just  the  opposite!  The  manufacturer,  as  well  as  the  tests,  univocally   assure  customers  that  this  receiver  is  fully  compatible  with  the  latest  access  cards  by  the  leading   providers  of  satellite  channels,  and,  therefore,  the  customer  does  not  have  to  worry  about  any   failures  or  problems.  Even  more  demanding  users  or  fans  may  consider  some  advantages,  especially   the  function  of  FTP  Download,  as  a  fact  to  tip  the  imaginary  scales  in  favor  of  the  purchase.  

Thanks  to  AB-­‐COM  for  loaning  the  receiver  (for  the  Czech  Republic:  www.abcomcz.cz,  for  the  Slovak  

Republic:  www.abcom.sk).  

The  prices  of  the  new  models  are  already  known:  

AB  CryptoBox  500HD   http://www.abcomcz.cz/produkt/ab-­‐cryptobox-­‐500hd-­‐1055459.html

 -­‐  a   recommended  retail  price:  1759,  -­‐  CZK  including  VAT  

AB  CryptoBox  550HD   http://www.abcomcz.cz/produkt/ab-­‐cryptobox-­‐550hd-­‐1055460.html

 -­‐  a   recommended  retail  price:  2285,  -­‐  CZK  including  VAT  

Exclusively  for  the  server  Parabola.cz  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

K.  S.  Jecny  (www.jecny.cz)  

07.08.2012