1. TEST REPORT Satellite Receiver
Topfield TF7700HSCI
HDTV receiver with eye-catching design
High-definition television – a synonym dard for transmitting their HDTV programs manufactures are currently working on their
for crystal-clear video and brilliant colours. the manufacturers of satellite receivers are first HDTC DVB-S2 box.
Now that the industry and program provi- also in a position to start offering new recep- Some even offer a completely finished box,
ders have finally agreed on the H264 stan- tion equipment for satellite viewers. All major like South Korean company Topfield.
Their latest development bears cart interface. Depending on 81 European, Asian and Ameri- satellite, which puts the box in
the name TF7700HSCI and is a CI the position of this switch, the can satellites, many specifics of an above average position. When
receiver which can process both on-screen menus are adjusted which are outdated in the pre- setting up the receiver we noti-
DVB-S2 QPSK and DVB-S2 8PSK accordingly. stored data, though. The same is ced that it is able to communicate
signals. Since products like these true for the pre-stored transpon- with its users in either German,
only reach their full potential in The remote control that comes der data, even though these have English, French, Italian, Spanish,
combination with plasma or LCD with the receiver sits nicely in been adapted to the new DVB-S2 Arabic, Turkish, Swedish, Danish,
screens – which usually feature a your hand and has a user-friendly standard, by and large. An auto- Dutch, Russian, Polish, Finnish or
very stylish design – Topfield has layout. Unfortunately, the control matic signal search will there- Slovakian.
decided to give its latest baby a codes of the remote are partly fore find most HDTV channels
very elegant appearance as well. identical to other Topfield models broadcasting in DVB-S2. Luckily, If the video output switch on
So the TF7700HSCI has the same like the TF3000CIPro which we new satellites can be added in a the back panel has been set to
style as the premium range with use in our test lab to control a breeze and existing satellite and HDMI or YUV, the euroscart
the TF5000PVR Masterpiece and 36V rotating antenna system. transponder data can easily be output options are S-Video or
TF6000PVR, which means matte edited. CVBS only, while RGB is avai-
black surfaces, a width of 43 cm A very comprehensive opera- lable as well when the switch is
and a look that will enhance any ting manual in English was also Like all other Topfield receivers on Scart.
living room rack. part of our package, by the time the TF7700HSCI supports DiSEqC
the box will be on sale officially 1.0, 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 (USALS), The Video Format sub-menu
An easy-to-read VFD display is we can expect various language which means that all configura- hides a very special gem: the
located in the middle of the front versions for all respective mar- tions from a simple multifeed TF7700HSCI can send the HDMI
panel and either shows the selec- kets. setup to a DiSEqC controlled signal as either 1080i, 720p,
ted channel or the current time rotating system or a Wavefron- 576i or 576p – or the receiver
(in standby mode). Five buttons
are positioned below the display Everyday use tier antenna with 16 LNBs can be
connected and controlled effor-
can choose the appropriate set-
ting automatically, depending
and allow using the receiver wit- When the receiver is switched tlessly. The box comes with a on the input signal. This feature
hout the remote control. A flap on for the first time the main whole range of pre-stored oscil- is extremely useful because a
hides two CI slots for all the usual menu pops up and stays on the lator frequencies and even if conventional SD signal that is
modules (Irdeto, Seca, Conax, screen until all LNB settings you insist on using your S-band provided as 1080i by the recei-
Viaccess, Cryptoworks, etc.). are made and a channel search antenna with this receiver you’re ver looks very blurry and pale,
is completed. There is no pre- free to use the manual LOF setup whereas the same signal as 576i
An extra treat is hidden on the stored list of channels to speed to make it all work. looks fine.
back panel of the box – a small up the initial setup, however.
switch to select whether the The TF7700HSCI took slightly The automatic detection and
video signal should be transmit- The satellite list provided by less than eight minutes to scan switching mode works flawlessly
ted via the HDMI/YUV or euros- the manufacturer comprises all signals of an 80-tranaponder and in our test the Topfield box
TELE-satellite International — www.TELE-satellite.com

2. recognised the top-quality HDTC
signal of HD1 right away and The handbook we received with
TECHNIC Manufacturer Topfield, Seongnam/Korea
DATA Fax +82-31-778 0801
chose the appropriate 1080i set- the receiver did not include any
E-Mail inquiry@topfield.co.kr
ting, while it scaled back to 576i technical specifications regar-
as soon as a regular SDVT chan- ding the integrated tuner, which Model TF7700HSCI
nel was selected. means we had to perform our Function Digital satellite receiver for
SCPC test without manufacturer- SDTV/HDTV in DVBS and DVBS2
(QPSK/8PSK) in MPEG2 and
The TF7700HSCI is the first provided details. The 12633 V
MPEG4
Topfield receiver without a transponder on EUTELSAT SESAT
Channel memory 5000
manual selection of the TV colour 36° East with a symbol rate of
norm, but this is no drawback as 1 Ms/s could not be locked and Symbol rates 2-45 Ms/sec.
automatic switching between PAL processed in our test – it seems SCPC compatible yes
and NTSC did not pose any pro- the tuner needs everything DiSEqC 1.0 / 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3
blem for the box. upward of 2 Ms/s to find a selec-
USALS yes
ted signal.
HDMI yes
Like all other Topfield receivers
the TF7700HSCI has a 5000- Of course we put HDTV recep- Scart euroconnectors 2
channel memory only for TV and tion under particular scrutiny for Audio/Video outputs 3 x RCA
radio, which is definitely not suf- this test and we are happy to Component output 3x RCA
ficient these days for a DiSEqC report no image freezes or soft-
S-Video output no
1.3 box. Given the limitations of ware crashes. For HDTV channels
the channel memory the channel we looked at free-to-air European UHF Modulator no
list editing functions become all channels on ASTRA 19.2° East, 0/12 Volt socket no
the more important. Topfield has TURKSAT 2A 42° East, EUTELSAT Digital audio output yes
done its homework in this area W3A 7° East, ATLANTIC BIRD 5°
EPG yes
and channels can be deleted, West and of course HOTBIRD 13°
C/Ku band compatible yes
moved, renamed or blocked with East. We also tested the encryp-
a PIN code to prevent children ted programs of Euro1080 on Power supply 90-250 VAC, 50/60 Hz
watching unsuitable channels. ASTRA 3A 23.5° East and did
Favourite channels can be moved not encounter any problems, as
to any number of favourite lists. the Topfield box accepted our
Euro1080 smartcard in the Irdeto
Switching between HDTV module and decoded the HD1 and
channels takes approximately HD2 channels right away.
two seconds, while zapping from
one SDTV channel to another If you’re more of an experi-
SDTV channel requires only one mental type you’ll like a nice fea-
second. Due to the automatic ture that Topfield has integrated
adaptation of the screen reso- into its latest model. Similar to Channel search Channel search
lution it can take up to three or what we have become to know
four seconds when moving from from MS Windows XP the recei-
an HDTV to an SDTV channel ver can save the systems set-
or vice versa. If this stretches tings at a certain stage and then
your patience just a little too go back to exactly these settings
much you can always turn off at a future point in time. So if
this automatic feature and select you mess around with your chan-
the appropriate manually on the nel list or some other configura-
Testing HDTV of Canal+ via Main menu
remote control. tions and would like to undo all ATLANTIC BIRD 3.5° West
these changes, you can easily
The signal tuner used by Top- go back to the saved settings.
field leaves a strikingly good Even a reset to default does not
impression. The only minor pro- delete these saved data, so no
blem we noticed is that it someti- more tiresome re-configuration
mes took some seconds until the for hours if something has gone
TF7700HSCI identified and dis- wrong.
played transponders with 8PSK HD1 via ASTRA 3A 23.5° East SMD HD via ASTRA 19.2° East
or QPSK modulation. As Topfield is constantly wor-
king on improving its products
the receiver is able to update its
Expert conclusion
Weak signals, on the other software via satellite or via the +
hand, didn’t seem to be a pro- serial data port. There is also The TF7700HSCI is a very sound SDTV and HDTV
blem for the receiver when we a standard USB-A interface on receiver which is equipped with a range of useful fea-
tures. Add to that the smart and very user-friendly
tested this on EUROBIRD 2 26° the back panel. This is used to
OSD that we have come to expect from Topfield and
East, NILESAT 7° West or ASTRA update the receiver‘s software,
you have the perfect family box.
2D 28.2° East. Just don’t take which can be downloaded from
HDTV reception of DVB-S2 in H264 standard works Thomas Haring
the signal meter values as set in Topfield‘s website www.topfield. flawlessly and thanks to the HDMI interface there’s TELE-satellite
stone, as they appeared to show co.kr . Additionally, you can also virtually nothing in the way of crystal clear viewing Test Center
Austria
some rather strange results at edit the receiver‘s channels with pleasure on plasma of LCD screens.
times, such as a signal strength Topfield‘s own Vega channel edi-
of 14% combined with a signal ting software. -
quality of 78%, which turned out The memory can store up to 5000 channels, which is on the low
to be 71 dBuV with a C/N reading Topfield has taken care about side. The satellite list is partially outdated and the remote control will
also address other Topfield equipment within its reach.
of 7.3 on our measuring equip- everything, this receiver is fully
ment. future-proof!
TELE-satellite International — www.TELE-satellite.com