TEST REPORT

HD Scart Satellite Receiver

MKTechHD Scart Stick

Provides SD via Scart and HD via HDMI Extremely fast tuner with Blindscan function Exceptionally fast channel switching times Internet services accessible through an Ethernet connection Shipped with a very up-to-date satellite list

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TEST REPORT

HD Scart Satellite Receiver

A Scart Receiver in the HD Age

When the new MKTechHD Scart Stick arrived in our test center, we looked at it and said not bad. When we took a closer look at it, we realized that MKTech has marketed a sleek combination of proven design with modern technology. An external IR receiver The receiver is merely 14 x 8 x 3 cm in size; it comes with a Scart connector that can be adjusted in any direction making it easy to hide behind any TV. The Scart jack holds it firmly in place. for remote control signals can be plugged in to the jack next to the RS-232 interface. The array of connections is topped off by an internal card reader that, surprisingly, also lets you The buttons have a good feel to them and are arranged in an organized fashFor HDTV, MKTech naturally also included an HDMI output. Additionally, theres also a tuner input, an RJ45 network jack, a USB 2.0 port, a coaxial S/PDIF output as well as a power jack for the 12V power supply. The power supply included by the manufacturer is rated for 100 - 240V 50/60Hz and therefore allows this receiver to be used anywhere in the world. The included remote control sits very comfortably in your hand thanks in part to the slip-resistant surface on the back. use this receiver with PayTV services.

ion although the PVR buttons located near the bottom are rather small making them a little harder to work with. Nevertheless, the workmanship of this new MKTech receiver left us with an overall very good impression. The HD Scart Stick does not come with an installation assistant but it does ask you to select the desired OSD language when its turned on for the first time. Before we match the receiver to the antenna on our roof, we first want to select the proper video output signal for our TV. The Scart connection can provide both the CVBS and RGB modes whereby the RGB output has a direct influence on the

07-08/2013
MKTechHD Fully featured Mini Scart Receiver with HDTV via HDMI

www.TELE-audiovision.com/13/07/mktech

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HDMI output. Once activated, the only available output signal in RGB is in 576i. Once the Scart output is switched to CVBS, the user can then choose between 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i 50 Hz as well as 1080p (24, 25 and 50 Hz). We really liked the HD We HD appreciated Scart Sticks the preproScart Sticks Blindscan function; the manufacturer definitely put some effort in here. In the first step the Blindscan function searches the currently selected satellite for any and all active transponders and compares those that are found to the entries in the preprogrammed transponder list. In our test scan of HOTBIRD 13 east all of the current entries were confirmed in just 84 seconds. Even a new transponder were found. In the next step, the Blindscan function performs a standard scan of all the preprogrammed transponders. And it does this in a blindingly fast 3 minutes and 50 seconds! In that short time it found 1512 TV and 529 radio channels on HOTBIRD 13 east. From a timing point of view, the difference between the Blindscan and a normal scan was those 84 seconds needed to check the transponder list. Because of the new transponder that was To fill up the channel list there are multiple search modes available, namely, single satellite, multi-satellite, Blindscan, transponder and multi-transponder. This lets you scan single or multiple satellites/transponders in a single breath.

grammed satellite and transponder list as well as the vast settings capabilities that we found in the installation menu. Its rare for a receiver to show up here in our test lab with such up-todate preprogrammed data; a total of 54 satellite entries are available. Thanks to the support of all the DiSEqC protocols (1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3), the HD Scart Stick can be used with a standard multifeed antenna, a multifocus system as well as with a motorized antenna. MKTech even thought about SCR single-cable solutions as well as a manually selectable LOF so that even unusual oscillator frequencies are supported.

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found during the Blindscan, a total of 1518 TV channels and 534 radio stations were found instead. If you want to put limits on the number of entries in the channel list right from the beginning, you have a choice of search modes: All, FTA, HD, SD, TV, Radio, FTA TV and FTA Radio. We especially liked the HD search mode; it only searches for high qualThe HD Scart Sticks satellite and transponder entries can easily be edited. We appreciated the fact that the receiver doesnt pester the user by asking what modulation method is being used. Instead, it automatically recity channels and thus prevents the channel list from being stuffed with large numbers of SD channels.

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1. Turning on the receiver for the first time takes you to the language selection 2. Installation menu 3. Channel list editing 4. System settings 5. Time settings 6. Additional features of the HD Scart Stick 7. A channel scan of NILESAT 7 west 8. The preprogrammed satellite list is extensive and up-to-date 9. Even SCR single-cable solutions are supported

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10. The HD Scart Stick supports the DiSEqC Protocols 1.0 and 1.1 11. The channel scan can, for example, be limited to HD channels only 12. Country selection to simplify coordinate entry with USALS 13. The modulation of a transponder is automatically recognized 14. The satellite list can be sorted a number of ways by the user 15. Channel list editor 16. Favorites lists 17. Time settings 18. Timer entries can be repeated as often as necessary

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ognizes these parameters. All in all, we found the MKTechHD Scart Sticks OSD to be very well organized and easy to use. The EPG overview covers the programming information for up to five channels as well as the upcoming information for the next program. Unfortunately, its not a full-screen display and this takes away from the overall content that is displayed. The ability to program timer entries directly from the EPG makes up for this. Here youll find features such as setting daily or weekly recordings. During our tests we found the dedicated Favorites and Satellite list buttons on the remote control to be especially user-friendly as was the ability to select the out19. The HD Scart Stick provides a variety of additional features thanks to the network port 20. Weather forecast 21. Currency exchange calculator 22. Display of stock prices 23. The YouTube App is graphically simple yet clearly designed 24. Search results on YouTube 25. AVI video playback 26. DivX video playback 27. M2TS video playback 28. MP4 video playback 29. MP3 Player 30. Photo viewer 31. Photo viewer 32. The Info bar shows the title of the current and upcoming program 33. Favorites list display

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34. Language selection 35. The user can use the OSD keyboard to search for one or more channels 36. During an active recording, channels that can't be received are removed from the channel list 37. Two channels can be recorded at the same time 38. Display of previously recorded programs 39. A satellite's transponder list is checked for new entries in Blindscan mode

put signal resolution and the capability to select various display modes in the 4:3 and

could not be received while a recording was taking place were conveniently removed from the channel list. The Timer function is also ready to go to work; when activated it stores the currently viewed program in one of the very large freely selectable caches. After the tuner was able to prove itself during channel scans, we wanted to see how it would perform with weaker and narrow-band signals.

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16:9 formats. We really appreciated the extremely fast channel switching times of less than one second. And lets not forget the PVR features: we could easily record two HD channels at the same time while a third channel could be watched live. All of the channels that

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40. Channel list sorting capabilities 41. The user can use the OSD keyboard to search for one or more channels 42. The video format can be selected using a dedicated button on the remote control 43. The video resolution can be selected using a dedicated button on the remote control 44. The Info bar shows the title of the current and upcoming program 45, 46. EPG 47. Timer entries can be set up directly from the EPG 48. SCPC with low symbolrates are not a problem for the HD Scart Stick's tuner

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In both cases there were no problems; it was able to process a weak signal on ASTRA2D 28.2 east that just barely broke the threshold level here in our test center as well as a narrow-band SCPC signal on EUTELSAT 36 east. On top of all this, the MKTechHD Scart Stick is packed with a variety of additional

practical features. Thanks to the Ethernet port the user can access weather data, stock prices, RSS feeds or an FTP server. Theres also a currency conversion calculator available. Naturally, we also put the HD Scart Sticks multimedia functions to the test. We were able to play back video clips in the DivX, MOV, AVI, MPEG, Flash, M4P,

TS and WMV formats without any problems. Unfortunately, audio playback was limited to MP3 files; M4A, WMA and AAC were not recognized. The integrated photo viewer lets you easily display BMP and JPEG images on your TV at home. In addition to storing recordings and providing access to multimedia content,

the USB port can also be used to update the receivers software. The manufacturer provides updates via their web site at regular intervals. Overall, we really liked the HD Scart Stick from MKTech. Theyve demonstrated with this new product that the days of Scart receivers wont go away any time soon.

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expert
OPINION
Manufacturer

TECHNICAL
DATA
Gotech International Technology Co., Ltd. 66 Yongda Road, Hongqi, ZhuHai 519045, Jinwan, CHINA

MKTechHD Scart Satellite Receiver

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT BY

Adress

Contact www.gotechcn.com/Enquiry.asp Internet www.gotechcn.com Model Function Input frequency Input symbol rate HD Scart Stick Satellite Receiver 950 - 2150 MHz 2 - 45 Ms/s 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 yes (coaxial)

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Thomas Haring Test Center Austria

DiSEqC Digital Audio out

HDMI yes USB 2.0 yes CI Slot no Card Reader yes

+ The HD Scart Stick stands out with its extremely powerful tuner
that can be perfectly controlled with the receivers software. It provides for exceptional results and comes with an easy and clearly structured user interface as well as a very thoughtful and good implementation of all the expected features.

Stereo Audio, CVBS no Scart yes Ethernet yes RS232 yes 0/12V no EPG yes HDTV yes PVR yes WebTV no Dimensions Power Supply 14 x 8 x 3 cm 100 - 240V AC 50/60 Hz Weight 170g

None
49. Channel list editing 50. The channel list can be automatically sorted a number of ways 51. Once the channel list has been set up the way you want, it can be stored in case of emergency 52. Language settings 53. OSD settings 54. Child protection settings

ENERGY
DIAGRAM

Apparent Power

Mode Active StandBy Active Power

Apparent Active Factor 15.5 W 9.5 W 0.61 12 W 7.5 W 0.62

Energy: The first 15 minutes active operation; the second 15 minutes Standby

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