This document provides a review of the Opensat 9900 HDPVR satellite receiver. It discusses the receiver's outputs, menus, setup features, recording capabilities, and playback of recorded content and external video files. Key points include its fast and intuitive menus, support for DiSEqC and USALS for antenna setup, inclusion of a USB port for recording, and ability to play back DivX and Xvid video files from an external drive. Limitations mentioned are the small number of recording timers available and lack of editing functions for recorded content. Overall, the review is positive about the receiver's speed, easy setup, and multimedia playback options.

1. TEST REPORT HDTV Satellite PVR
Opensat 9900 HDPVR
The Really Fast Receiver
0.45
The single tuner has a loop-
The sleek black Opensat 9900 HDPVR distributed by through output so another
Slovakia’s ABC Bizniz comes with all the usual outputs receiver can be connected.
There’s also an RS232 con-
expected from a high definition receiver. HDMI and nection and an Ethernet
component video are accompanied by two Scarts, and the port. The single USB port
is located on the side of the
old faithful fallback of composite video is also available. receiver, near the front. This
Audio is covered by an S/PDIF output, backed up with the is a good halfway house
between a hard to reach port
standard left and right stereo RCAs. Picture quality through on the back if you’re connect-
HDMI and component are as excellent as you’d expect ing and reconnecting often or
an obtrusive cable sticking
from high definition and when an HD resolution is chosen, out of the front if you have a
standard resolution broadcasts are upscaled. permanently connected hard
30 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 08-09/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

2. TELE-satellite World www.TELE-satellite.com/...
Download this report in other languages from the Internet:
Arabic ‫العربية‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/ara/opensat.pdf
Indonesian Indonesia www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/bid/opensat.pdf
Bulgarian Български www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/bul/opensat.pdf
Czech Česky www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/ces/opensat.pdf
drive. A port at both the front pening on-screen. Switching German Deutsch www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/deu/opensat.pdf
and back would have been between channels and navi- English English www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/eng/opensat.pdf
Spanish Español www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/esp/opensat.pdf
perfect to cover both of these gation of the menus is nice Farsi ‫فارس ي‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/far/opensat.pdf
French Français www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/fra/opensat.pdf
scenarios, but this would of and quick. It’s a real pleasure Hebrew ‫עברית‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/heb/opensat.pdf
Greek Ελληνικά www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/hel/opensat.pdf
course add to the produc- not to have to wait at all. Croatian Hrvatski www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/hrv/opensat.pdf
Italian Italiano www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/ita/opensat.pdf
tion cost. There are also two Hungarian Magyar www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/mag/opensat.pdf
Mandarin www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/man/opensat.pdf
common interface slots and Complementing the speed Dutch
中文
Nederlands www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/ned/opensat.pdf
one for a smartcard. of the menus is their modern Polish Polski www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/pol/opensat.pdf
Portuguese Português www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/por/opensat.pdf
look and feel. Their crisp Romanian Română www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/rom/opensat.pdf
Russian Русский www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/rus/opensat.pdf
Switching on the receiver silver and yellow colour Swedish Svenska www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/sve/opensat.pdf
Turkish Türkçe www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1009/tur/opensat.pdf
gives the first pleasant sur- scheme with clear sharp Available online starting from 30 July 2010
prises. There’s no wait for black text is a world away
software to boot up, no from the old days of blocky selection of DiSEqC ports delivery of satellite signals
pretty logo to sit through for slow menus we’ve seen too for multiple LNBs through to multiple receivers by feed-
those impatient seconds that much of over the years. A lot to a fully motorised system ing them from a single cable
last forever when you know of thought has clearly gone with the positions calculated utilising clever splitters. This
into their design and ease of from the user’s latitude and greatly simplifies cabling for
the show you want to see is
use for which Opensat should longitude. Just about every those who want to watch TV
already starting. As soon as
be congratulated. So many other setup possibility is cov- in multiple rooms. How I wish
the power button is pressed,
times a good receiver is ered. A host of preset options this technology was available
we’re up and running and this
spoiled by a poorly designed, are available for LNB types years ago when I pulled the
speed is echoed throughout
confusing or slow interface. and if yours is somehow not house apart to wire up my
the whole machine. There’s
This one keeps everything included, all the required own system.
no delay from pressing a
fast, simple and clear – top frequencies needed can be
button to the action hap-
marks. added manually. Scanning for channels is
always the most tedious
Setting up the antenna is Most interesting is the part of setting a receiver up,
as simple as it can be thanks addition of a SCR option. there’s no getting away from
to DiSEqC and USALS. All This technology, developed it. Opensat have done well
we’d expect from this kind by a consortium led headed though, and the menu clarity
of setup is available, from by SES Astra, simplifies the continues into this step. Once
08-09/2010
Opensat 9900 HDPVR
Extremely fast with speedy menue -
includes Blindscan
www.TELE-satellite.com — 08-09/2010 — TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine 31

3. Programme info Channel find function
Motor settings EPG
able. This has some welcome favourites lists. The manipu-
options that are sometimes lation of the favourites lists
forgotten – such as being is the quickest I can ever
able to set the frequency remember using, it is so fast
range to be scanned along it is almost a pleasure instead
with the desired polarity and of a chore – I never thought
frequency step. These are the day would come when I
always appreciated by those would hear myself saying
of us who like to go after that. Up to 200 channels can
feeds that are grouped in be added to each of the eight
specific areas of a satellite’s favourites lists, which can be
frequency range. On the flip- renamed as required.
side, in the blind search we
sadly can’t choose to save
Everyday use
only FTA channels. A final
fast search option exists for Navigating the large
Recordings list viewers of the Canal Digitaal, number of channels in the
TW or TeleSAT packages on receiver after scanning con-
the satellites we want to scan scan, depend on the trans-
Astra 1, where only channels tinues the fast and logical
are set, the Multisat search ponders that are pre-pro-
from the selected provider feel of the setup menus. The
will search each one in turn – grammed into the receiver,
are scanned. main navigation buttons on
either for all channels or just have been added though
the remote are large and
free-to-air. using the network search well-spaced. A nice option
Once the channels are in
option or input manually. memory, a comprehensive is a dedicated “find” button.
As always, the channels For the viewer who needs editing section allows them to Where was CNN amongst
found in the multisat scan, or to get everything though, be sorted, renamed, deleted, the thousand channels in
the standard single satellite a blind search is also avail- moved or added to one of the the list? Don’t worry about
32 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 08-09/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

4. rything with audio pumped space. Perhaps like me the
up so loud you’re in danger receiver was perplexed with
of blowing your windows out what to do with such a big
just by innocently tuning into blank canvas to work on. Or
them. maybe the drive was incom-
patible in some way. It is
More innovative buttons hard to know and probably
exist – the HD button gives us not the fault of the receiver.
a channel list of only the HD
channels, and this can also Thankfully my old faith-
be used as a filtering button ful 40GB USB drive worked
when inside the channel list. perfectly. In fact, even a USB
The more obscurely named memory stick will do the job.
“M-F” button gives access to I tried it with an everyday
multi-feed channels. There’s 4GB memory stick, and it
also a recall button, but not worked with only occasional
Xvid playback just the usual recall button jumps at the start of record-
– this is recall on steroids, ing or playback, even with
giving us a menu listing the the high amounts of data
10 last viewed channels to needed for high definition.
choose from. For those who don’t need to
use the recording functions
Recording and often, or perhaps would only
timeshifting use time-shifting, an inex-
Out of the box, this receiver pensive memory stick could
was in danger of seeming a be all that is needed to utilise
little basic but has already this part of the receiver.
proved itself thanks to the
intuitive menu system and The recording functions
speed. But remember the are best accessed via the
“PVR” in the name – with the EPG. Here again, some good
addition of a USB device, it design has been used, navi-
becomes a good PVR too. gation is easy and intuitive.
EPG Two views can be chosen –
trawling through page after up a small menu to change Having recently treated the traditional grid, or a list
page of channels, however the audio mode, aspect myself to a 1.5 terabyte of all programmes on a single
fast it may be … just hit the ratio and letterboxing. “Opt” external hard drive (I am still channel. This comes into its
find button and enter the first meanwhile gives options to staggered I can go out and own in places like ASTRA 1,
characters of the channel individually change the audio buy such huge amounts of where a full set of EPG infor-
name and the list will filter track, subtitles and volume storage space), I excitedly mation is available. It’s such
itself before your eyes. It’s for each channel. This is great hooked it up. The promise of a pity that even now in the
like the auto-completion on a for boosting the channels having days or weeks worth age of the PVR that so many
Google search. I love it. that broadcast very quietly, of space was amazing. Unfor- channels still only transmit
and is just as useful when tunately, all I got was a mes- the data for the current and
Two other helpful buttons used in reverse to reduce sage saying it was already next programmes.
give quick access to impor- the volume of those annoying full! Believe me, even I have
tant functions. “AV+” brings channels who transmit eve- trouble filling that much Pressing the record button
34 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 08-09/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

5. adds the show into the until the recording finishes. innovation I like most is the it into a standard .ts trans-
receiver’s timer, which is excellent implementation of port stream file. Now it can
best thought of as being just Recordings are accessed DivX, Xvid, AVI, MPG and be edited with your favour-
like the timer found on an old from the play button which MP4 video files. ite editor, and turned into
VCR, remember those? is located amongst a group an AVI. You’ll have to take
of 20 smaller buttons at the Not just the preserve of my word for it, but the Xvid
This is one place where bottom end of the remote. movie piracy on the inter- playback screenshot from
we do find some limitations. These are a little small and net, DivX and Xvid are good Germany’s ZDF Info was
There are only seven slots take some getting used to, it tools for compressing video recorded from ASTRA 1 on
available, and we can only is quite easy at the start to into smaller files. I’ve built up the 9900, quickly converted
record one channel at a time, get mixed up between play, quite an archive of material into an Xvid AVI and played
even if we choose two chan- pause, record, fast forward, over the last few years, pains- back again on the 9900 from
nels from the same trans- slow motion and others. Like takingly transferred first a memory stick. Fantastic!!
ponder – although we are all controls though, it gets from their source onto rewri-
allowed to watch a different easier with practice. table DVD, then finally con- There are no editing func-
channel from the same trans- verted into Xvid and archived tions on the receiver, unless
ponder while a recording is in Recordings are stored as permanently onto disk. I’ve you want to go through the
progress. the programme name with always wanted to find some- conversion route on a com-
the time appended, with the thing to make this process puter, which would be much
The timer entries can be date in the next column. This simpler, and to take out the too arduous to just cut out
edited to run daily or weekly is just about OK to iden- commercials or trim the start
quality loss from having to
which helps a little, but just tify the show you wanted to and end of a recording.
transport the recording via
seven available timer slots replay, but I miss being able
disk to the computer. Yes, I
are simply inadequate for to press a button to get the Time-shifting is also
did try a PC card receiver, but
life in today’s multi-channel programme information that present – this can be turned
didn’t really get on with it too
world. would have been transmit- on permanently in the
well, but that’s another story.
ted with the EPG data. This setup menus, or accessed
If you’re able to live within seems to be something over- as required by pressing the
these limits, the recording looked by many PVRs these
Extra trickery pause button. One minor
system does work well. When days. Isn’t it possible to save Often, the PVR will store its annoyance, again something
a recording is in progress, this data with the recording data in some kind of format that is strangely present
the channel list is trimmed so it can be accessed later? that makes easy conversion in many PVRs these days,
down to only those that can difficult or even impossi- is that you have to choose
be viewed without interrupt- In addition to recording ble. But the 9900 stores its either to record permanently
ing the recording; if you try and playback from satel- files in a standard format, or timeshift.
to view a channel or access lite, the receiver can access .trp. This can’t be viewed on
a menu that isn’t available pictures and MP3 files from a computer right away by Once you’re timeshifting
due to the recording, an the USB device. These follow most popular media play- and decide that the pro-
unobtrusive box appears in the rest of the receiver in ers, but whizzing it through gramme is worth keeping,
the corner of the screen to being easy to navigate and a freeware conversion pro- you can’t hit record to save
remind you of how long is left use. But that’s not all. The gram called TSremux makes it permanently. If you do
36 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 08-09/2010 — www.TELE-satellite.com

6. try this, the timeshift will and then you’ll remember
be stopped, and a perma-
ENERGY
that backup! DIAGRAM
nent recording starts at that
point. It’d be much nicer
if the already timeshifted
Conclusion
Apparent Power
material could be saved as This receiver is quite a
the start of the recording, surprise. The initial worries
and then it continues from of having only one tuner and
there.
no hard drive are balanced
Active Power
by easy menu navigation
An additional useful touch
is both the receiver’s soft- and the ability to convert Mode Apparent Active Factor
StandBy 30 W 14 W 0.46
ware and channel data and edit the recordings on a Reception 42 W 19 W 0.45
can be quickly backed up computer.
and restored from the USB
device. Just like a computer,
The addition of innovations
a backup can save you from
like AVI playback and SCR
a lot of stress if an upgrade TECHNICAL
or channel scan goes wrong. support are genuinely help- DATA
After all, who hasn’t at one ful for those who use them. Distributor ABC BIZNIS s.r.o., Krušovská 4646,
955 01 Topoľčany, Slovakia
time scanned HOTBIRD while There are obvious limitations
Tel/Fax +421 38 5313508
pointing at ASTRA and ending when only one tuner is avail- www www.opensat.info
up with a crazy channel list
able If you can live within Model 9900HDPVR
from where the frequencies
these limits, you’d probably Satellites 70
are the same? OK, maybe it’s
just me! But be warned, one be very pleased with this SCPC compatible Yes
day it will happen to you too, receiver. USALS Yes
DiSEqC 1.0/1.1/1.2/1.3
Expert Opinion Scart connectors 2
+ Symbol rates DVB: 1000-45000
Clear, good looking, intuitive menus and EPG MPEG2 modes MPEG-2, MPEG-4, H.264
DivX / Xvid playback Audio outputs 2 (left & right)
Recordings made in a convertible format
Video outputs Composite, Component, HDMI
SCR support
Resolutions 1080i, 720p, 480p/576p, 480/576i
-
Andy Middleton
TELE-satellite UHF output No
Test Center
No inbuilt hard drive – but this means you UK 0/12 volt output No
can choose one to suit your needs and budget Digital audio output S/PDIF
Only one tuner EPG Yes
Only 7 timer entries available C/Ku-band compatible Yes
No editing of recordings Power supply 100-240V AC
www.TELE-satellite.com — 08-09/2010 — TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine 37