The Metabox HD Combo CI is an innovative HDTV receiver that can receive both satellite and terrestrial signals via DVB-S, DVB-S2, and DVB-T. It is the first receiver to combine these two reception modes into one box. The receiver has an easy-to-use interface and features multiple tuners, HDMI output, and the ability to store up to 10,000 channels. It also supports software updates and comes with a comprehensive EPG. The Metabox HD Combo CI provides a convenient solution for receiving both local terrestrial channels and satellite TV with one receiver.

1. TEST REPORT HDTV Receiver for Satellite and Terrestrial
Metabox HD Combo CI
First HD receiver for DVB-S,
DVB-S2 and DVB-T
At TELE-satellite we’re always delighted when companies
wander off the beaten track and introduce products that have
not been available in the marketplace before. The Metabox HD
Combo CI of Korean manufacturer Metamultimedia is such an
innovation. As the ‘Combo’ in its model name suggests, this box
brings together two different reception modes: DVB-S/DVB-S2 04 -0 5/ 20 08
METABOX HD
and DVB-T. HD all -rounde COMBO CI
restrial rec ep r for satellite
tion with perfe and ter-
– great as a bo ct usabilit y
x for the whole
family.
And this is also why the back ging in a USB stick with the guese, Spanish, Turkish, Italian DiSEqC 1.2 and/or 1.2 (USALS)
panel features a terrestrial required files on the front and Farsi are available. Once the for rotating antennas. The only
antenna jack complete with panel. Speaking of the front receiver knows how to commu- protocol missing is DiSEqC 1.1,
loop-through output next to panel, it features an easy-to- nicate with you it swiftly moves which means owners of large
the usual IF input and output read VFD display as well as you to the main menu which multi-feed antennas are left in
for satellite signals. Added to eight buttons for operating cannot be left until a channel the rain for the time being.
that are two scart euroconnec- the receiver without using the scan has been performed.
tors, a total of six RCA jacks for remote control. There are pre-programmed
composite video, stereo audio At this point we also have to settings for several types of
and YUV, as well as an optical An unimposing flap on the say that we cannot praise Meta- LNBs which means almost any
digital audio output. The HDMI right side of the front panel multimedia highly enough for reception equipment will be set
interface that is also located hides two CI slots and the USB devising such a great looking up and working with this box
on the back panel makes sure interface for updates. and easy to use on-screen menu in next to no time. Should you
digital video and audio are layout. From both an optical and require more exotic frequency
transmitted free of loss. Of course the receiver comes an ergonomical point of view settings you can always enter
with a remote control which it is right up with the best and these manually.
There is also an interface sits pleasantly in your hand allows setting up the receiver in
labelled E-SATA. It had not and boasts clearly labelled a self-explanatory way. Beginners will be particularly
been activated on our test buttons which can be reached impressed with this receiver’s
unit, but Metamultimedia is quite easily and have a nice In the Installation sub-menu automatic DiSEqC detection
working on activating this feel to them. we first have to decide which of feature. Using it, all you have to
function, which will then con- the two tuners has to be config- do is mark the required satel-
vert HD Combo CI into a full
PVR. Everyday use ured. Choosing DVB-S/DVB-S2 a
list of 57 pre-stored satellites is
lite positions on the list and let
the box look for the appropriate
Turn on the Metabox HD made available, and the Metabox DiSEqC settings based on the
Software updates and new Combo CI for the first time and has no issues with addressing pre-stored transponder list.
channel lists can be loaded it quickly will ask you to select more then one satellite positions
into the memory the contem- your desired OSD language. as it features DiSEqC 1.0 for Both satellite and transpon-
porary way by simply plug- English, German, French, Portu- up to four stationary LNBs and der data can be edited in a dedi-
Clearly arranged info bar EPG (multi channel) EPG (single channel)
34 TELE-satellite & Broadband — 04-05/2008 — www.TELE-satellite.com

2. channel you’re looking for and
the box will call up this particu-
lar channel if it’s in the overall
channel list. Of course you can
also temporarily sort channels
according to various parameters
so that you will easily find what-
ever you’re looking for.
The time it takes the HD
Combo CI to switch from one
channel to the next is a little
more than one second, which
cated sub-menu at any time and ing and editing functions, such presents information on the cur- we feel is fine. It’s only when
without a lot of hassle. Contrary as sorting the channels accord- rent program as well as status switching to HD channels that
to many other manufacturers ing to alphabet, satellite, tran- icons referring to teletext, sub- the box may take a moment or
Metamultimedia offers a clev- sponder, encryption system, titles, encryption, Dolby Digital two before moving on.
erly designed solution for that child lock or S-ID. audio, child lock or HD contents,
even below the surface, when among other things. Usability of the Metabox HD
you go into more detail. To make sure all channels you Combo CI is brilliant with all
watch frequently can be found If you press the Info button the features already mentioned
The Metabox boasts a 10,000- at the touch of a button at a for a second time extended EPG above. But there are even more
channel memory which can be later stage, you should move information on the current pro- nice little amenities that add
filled using either an automatic them to one of five favourite gram is made available, if this up to move this receiver right
or a manual signal scan. Owners lists which can be freely defined is transmitted by the channel to the best of the pack: NVOD
of dishes with a DiSEqC motor by the user. provider. support, language and subtitle
installed will particularly appre- selection or multi-picture mode
ciate that up to ten satellite posi- User preferences are dealt While we’re at it, the EPG of for displaying up to 16 channels
tions can be marked before the with in the second major menu the Metabox stands out with its at the same time.
actual scan begins. This is a fea- item. It is here that you can clever design and great func-
ture that can save a lot of time if instruct the box to set the cur- tionality. You can either call up Metamultimedia ships its
you have a rotating dish. rent time based on informa- details for each single channel receiver with a low threshold
tion from DVB-S or DVB-T data or an overview of five channels tuner which will lock and process
Our scan on a 90-transpon- streams, and you can set up at a time. If you press the OK signals with a C/N as low as 5
der satellite took a little over six to eight timer entries with the button the channel list is dis- db. SCPC compatibility for DVB-
minutes, which does not break option of timer actions being played as expected, but even S is specified for 1~45 Ms/s, but
any Olympic record but com- repeated daily. here Metamultimedia has gone our tests could not quite confirm
pares favourably to many com- beyond the conventional and this. Even though, every SCPC
peting receivers. The HDMI interface of the offers a virtual keyboard which signal with 1.6 Ms/s or above
Metabox can provide video sig- pops up when you press the will work, which in itself is more
Looking for digital terrestrial nals in 576p, 720p and 1080i green button on the remote. than your average satellite box
channels requires even less using the PAL colour system, Simply key in the name of a is capable of.
patience and expertise. Simply while the scart euroconnectors
choose whether you want to can be set to deliver RGB, CVBS
perform an automatic or a or S-Video signals. TELE-satellite World www.TELE-satellite.com/...
Download this report in other languages from the Internet:
manual scan and that’s it. An
Arabic ‫ﺍﻟﻌﺮﺑﻴﺔ‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/ara/metabox.pdf
automatic scan will check the Once all initial settings are Indonesian Indonesia www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/bid/metabox.pdf
UHF frequency band that has made and the channel list is Bulgarian Български www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/bul/metabox.pdf
Czech Česky www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/ces/metabox.pdf
been defined prior to starting filled with all the offerings of German Deutsch www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/deu/metabox.pdf
English English www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/eng/metabox.pdf
the scan. If the attached ter- digital satellite and terrestrial Spanish Español www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/esp/metabox.pdf
restrial antenna has a built-in television and radio, you’re free Farsi ‫ﻓﺎﺭﺳﻲ‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/far/metabox.pdf
French Français www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/fra/metabox.pdf
amplifier the receiver can be set to leave the main menu so that Greek Ελληνικά www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/hel/metabox.pdf
to provide a 5-Volt power supply the receiver switches to the first Croatian Hrvatski www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/hrv/metabox.pdf
Italian Italiano www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/ita/metabox.pdf
directly over the signal cable. channel on the list. Hungarian Magyar www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/mag/metabox.pdf
Mandarin 中文 www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/man/metabox.pdf
Dutch Nederlands www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/ned/metabox.pdf
In order to organise the usual Whenever a new channel Polish Polski www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/pol/metabox.pdf
Portuguese Português www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/por/metabox.pdf
chaos that prevails after an ini- appears on screen a clearly Romanian Românesc www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/rom/metabox.pdf
tial scan the Metabox HD Combo arranged info bar is inserted Russian Русский www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/rus/metabox.pdf
Swedish Svenska www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/sve/metabox.pdf
CI offers a whole range of sort- on the bottom of the screen. It Turkish Türkçe www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-0805/tur/metabox.pdf
SCPC reception with the Metabox HD Main menu Antenna settings
Combo CI
36 TELE-satellite & Broadband — 04-05/2008 — www.TELE-satellite.com

3. Software updates are avail- Updates can be installed over the
able at regular intervals as the air if your satellite dish points to TECHNIC
manufacturer is striving to con- ASTRA 19.2° East or by using a DATA
stantly improve its products. USB stick. Manufacturer Metamultimedia Co. Ltd., South Korea
Fax +82 2 6300 4112
Expert opinion E-Mail
Model
master@metamultimedia.net
Metabox HD Combo CI
+ Funcktion HDTV receiver for DVB-S, DVB-S2 and DVB-T
The Metabox HD Combo CI is a dedicated Channel memory 10000
receiver for the whole family which shines thanks Symbolrate DVB-S 1~45 Ms/s
to its ease of use and sophisticated features. It
SCPC compatible yes (> 1.6 Ms/s)
comes in an elegant case that will add a finishing
touch to any living room multimedia rack. USALS yes
With a combination of DVB-S, DVB-S2 and DVB- Thomas Haring DiSEqC 1.0 / 1.2 / 1.3
TELE-satellite
T the manufacturer tries to leave the beaten track Test Center Scart euroconnectors 2
and in our opinion succeeds in creating a clever Austria
Audio/Video outputs 3 x RCA + 3x RCA YUV
innovation which is particularly useful consider-
UHF Modulator no
ing the fact that local channels are mostly available only on ter-
restrial TV. S-Video yes
Thanks to this receiver it is finally possible to receive local ter- Component video output yes
restrial channels as well as HDTV satellite channels using the HDMI yes
same box. 0/12 Volt connection no
- Digital Audio output
EPG
yes
yes
none
C/Ku Band compatible yes
www.TELE-satellite.com — 04-05/2008 — TELE-satellite & Broadband 37