HD STB Shoot out

[glenncol]

Hi guys

Sorry this has taken so long to put together but I have been suffering with a cold and soon as I get home I flake it.

I am currently evaluating the new HD STB box from AUSID built for Fujitsu Australia which I must say has been a pleasure to use.

Ok here is the break down on the box itself

The box is unlike any other box on the market in the was of its design there is not fancy LED display on this box it is a plain looking Stainless Steel box. The box can be hidden from view or placed in its cradle then hidden behind the plasma when wall mounted.

This unit is solid and the build quality if more like a commercial unit would be rather than you average domestic model, The box is operated by a RF remote and is fitted with a RF antenna but has the option of a plug in IR sensor.

The remote control is your average remote but has all the functions of the Fujitsu displays on the remote so here it’s evident that this unit was designed for the Fujitsu displays.

Connection is as follows

Composite

SVID

Component

RS-232

Coax Audio

Yes I know some of you will be saying “No DVI or HDMI” but please read on.

From what I have been told is that all other SD and HD STB’s on the market use a modified VCR tuner where the AUSID us a purpose built HD tuner on this box.

The circuit board on this box has been RF shielded to the crap house minimising RF interference within the box and inturn the PQ also benefits from this.

I will provide more Technical details once I have them at hand.

So how does she handle?

Setup on this box is as easy as it gets I set it up once and reset to default then asked the misses to set it up from scratch which she did with no drama’s

As mentioned earlier this box is connected via component to the Fujitsu P50XHA40US, which at first concerned me as we all know component cannot compete with DVI or HDMI video connection.

My concerns were gone as soon as I seen the PQ of this box there is no difference I can see between the this box via component to the Teac or LG via DVI the PQ is fantastic.

No rather than a traditional shoot out of each box side by side as we have just covered the PQ is almost identical between the three of them lets look at how each of these handle the everyday FTA TV viewing.

My biggest issue with STB’s has been pixelisation on fast moving objects, Banding and solarisation

Now owning the Teac for as long as I have I know this thing pixelises fairly bad on fast moving objects and one of the best tests I can give the unit is CSI on every scene with fast movement I would get pixel break up.

The LG was pretty much the same as the Teac breaking up on fast movement and both are susceptible to banding and solarisation with the LG being to a lesser degree of solarisation.

Running the AUSID in the same scenario produced almost no Pixelisation or Solarisation and no banding which has freaked me out.

The biggest test for me was watching the footy on Saturday via the LG and Teac I would get the shits within 10 minutes and change the channel but I watched the whole game via the AUDIS with out a fault.

To put this into perspective here are some figures

Lack or Pixelisation

AUSID 98

Teac 60

LG 60

Lack of Solarisation

AUSID 90

Teac 60

LG 75

Lack of banding

AUSID 99

Teac 60

LG 60

Clarity of PQ

AUSID 90

Teac 90

LG 90

The menu system of the AUSID is not as pretty as the LG or Teac but damn I personally don’t give a damn the menu to me makes up 5% of the overall STB .

For people that live in fringe areas that are finding it hard to get a good reception this is the box for you! The tuner in this box is ultra high in the sensitivity stakes. This box has worked well in areas whee other would not like country Victoria and this is not claim that I wanted to test myself.

My Sisters in-laws own a place up in Kyneton Victoria and have never been able to get a stable reception via a SD or HD STB.

I took the AUSID up these on Sunday and set the unit up on a NEC XR4W and without a word of lie within 5 minutes they were getting crystal clear reception this blew my mind seriously as I have had all my boxes up there and none worked.

I am going to close off here for now for some further testing but I will make a claim here and now

“I have found the holly grail as far as Non PVR HD STB’s go and will be kissing the Teac and LG good bye”

This box will work with any display at all but especially suited to the Fujitsu Plasma range due to its dedicated display buttons on the remote

[Tony M]

Well, it's good to see that someone else has found that component is capable of giving outstanding results with the right combination of equipment.

[matte]

are they for sale???

what price?

Because i want nice looking sport on my TV.

Matt E

[NODDYPIPER]

What is the model # and where can you buy them?.

Noddy.

Hi guys

Sorry this has taken so long to put together but I have been suffering with a cold and soon as I get home I flake it.

I am currently evaluating the new HD STB box from AUSID built for Fujitsu Australia which I must say has been a pleasure to use.

Ok here is the break down on the box itself

The box is unlike any other box on the market in the was of its design there is not fancy LED display on this box it is a plain looking Stainless Steel box. The box can be hidden from view or placed in its cradle then hidden behind the plasma when wall mounted.

This unit is solid and the build quality if more like a commercial unit would be rather than you average domestic model, The box is operated by a RF remote and is fitted with a RF antenna but has the option of a plug in IR sensor.

The remote control is your average remote but has all the functions of the Fujitsu displays on the remote so here it’s evident that this unit was designed for the Fujitsu displays.

Connection is as follows

Composite

SVID

Component

RS-232

Coax Audio

Yes I know some of you will be saying “No DVI or HDMI” but please read on.

From what I have been told is that all other SD and HD STB’s on the market use a modified VCR tuner where the AUSID us a purpose built HD tuner on this box.

The circuit board on this box has been RF shielded to the crap house minimising RF interference within the box and inturn the PQ also benefits from this.

I will provide more Technical details once I have them at hand.

So how does she handle?

Setup on this box is as easy as it gets I set it up once and reset to default then asked the misses to set it up from scratch which she did with no drama’s

As mentioned earlier this box is connected via component to the Fujitsu P50XHA40US, which at first concerned me as we all know component cannot compete with DVI or HDMI video connection.

My concerns were gone as soon as I seen the PQ of this box there is no difference I can see between the this box via component to the Teac or LG via DVI the PQ is fantastic.

No rather than a traditional shoot out of each box side by side as we have just covered the PQ is almost identical between the three of them lets look at how each of these handle the everyday FTA TV viewing.

My biggest issue with STB’s has been pixelisation on fast moving objects, Banding and solarisation

Now owning the Teac for as long as I have I know this thing pixelises fairly bad on fast moving objects and one of the best tests I can give the unit is CSI on every scene with fast movement I would get pixel break up.

The LG was pretty much the same as the Teac breaking up on fast movement and both are susceptible to banding and solarisation with the LG being to a lesser degree of solarisation.

Running the AUSID in the same scenario produced almost no Pixelisation or Solarisation and no banding which has freaked me out.

The biggest test for me was watching the footy on Saturday via the LG and Teac I would get the shits within 10 minutes and change the channel but I watched the whole game via the AUDIS with out a fault.

To put this into perspective here are some figures

Lack or Pixelisation

AUSID 98

Teac 60

LG 60

Lack of Solarisation

AUSID 90

Teac 60

LG 75

Lack of banding

AUSID 99

Teac 60

LG 60

Clarity of PQ

AUSID 90

Teac 90

LG  90

The menu system of the AUSID is not as pretty as the LG or Teac but damn I personally don’t give  a damn the menu to me makes up 5% of the overall STB .

For people that live in fringe areas that are finding it hard to get a good reception this is the box  for you! The tuner in this box is ultra high in the sensitivity stakes. This box has worked well in areas whee other would not like country Victoria and this is not claim that I wanted to test myself.

My Sisters in-laws own a place up in Kyneton Victoria and have never been able to get a stable reception via a SD or HD STB.

I took the AUSID up these on Sunday and set the unit up on a NEC XR4W and without a word of lie within 5 minutes they were getting crystal clear reception this blew my mind seriously as I have had all my boxes up there and none worked.

I am going to close off here for now for some further testing but I will make a claim here and now

“I have found the holly grail as far as Non PVR HD STB’s go and will be kissing the Teac and LG good bye”

This box will work with any display at all but especially suited to the Fujitsu Plasma range due to its dedicated display buttons on the remote

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[glenncol]

are they for sale???

what price?

Because i want nice looking sport on my TV.

Matt E

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry guys

Yes these are available at Mega mart that i have seen so far with a Street price of $900.

Yes dear but i would have sent twice this so not to see bloody pixelisationon everything

[NODDYPIPER]

are they for sale???

what price?

Because i want nice looking sport on my TV.

Matt E

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry guys

Yes these are available at Mega mart that i have seen so far with a Street price of $900.

Yes dear but i would have sent twice this so not to see bloody pixelisationon everything

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What's the brand or model # ?

Noddy

[zorg1503559539]

awesome review glenn let's hope megamart has a 20% off everything sale soon...

[delbz]

Glenn, did you get a chance to compare the ($290) Hotchip HD STB?

[Refidim]

Another made by Zinwell. (From a very reliable source)

Zinwell made HD boxes update.

====================

Toshiba

Sharp

Sony

Pioneer

Mediastar

Pheonix

Omni

DGTEC(5000i only)

Hotchip

Fujitsu (Board only)

All use Broadcom processor and very much same performance but very deferent prices.

[glenncol]

What is the model # and where can you buy them?.

Noddy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The model is AUSID HD-D1 and available from Mega Mart and Myer but any place selling these boxes can get them in

[glenncol]

Another made by Zinwell.  (From a very reliable source)

Zinwell made HD boxes update.

====================

Toshiba

Sharp

Sony

Pioneer

Mediastar

Pheonix

Omni

DGTEC(5000i only)

Hotchip

Fujitsu (Board only)

All use Broadcom processor and very much same performance but very deferent prices.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In this case you are dead wrong

[glenncol]

Glenn, did you get a chance to compare the ($290) Hotchip HD STB?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Delbz I have not tried the Hotchip as yet

[glenncol]

awesome review glenn let's hope megamart has a 20% off everything sale soon...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now that would be cool

[plasmaman]

sweet, nice review glen

i'll hopefully getting my fuji & ausid stb tomorrow

so i'll let u's all know about it tomorrow

cant wait so excited

[glenncol]

sweet, nice review glen

i'll hopefully getting my fuji & ausid stb tomorrow

so i'll let u's all know about it tomorrow

cant wait so excited

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Plasmaman great news please keep us informed

[Foggy]

Thanks for the very interesting writeup Glenn. I think you have just changed the way that most of us look at STB's. I hadn't considered that the pixellation during the footy could be improved by the STB as it seemed to be common to all of them, so I just assumed that it was purely because of the poor transmission quality.

Does the AUSID have any "special" modes that are designed to scale the image to a size that more closely matches the Fuji panels' resolution?

[glenncol]

Thanks for the very interesting writeup Glenn. I think you have just changed the way that most of us look at STB's. I hadn't considered that the pixellation during the footy could be improved by the STB as it seemed to be common to all of them, so I just assumed that it was purely because of the poor transmission quality.

Does the AUSID have any "special" modes that are designed to scale the image to a size that more closely matches the Fuji panels' resolution?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hey Foggy

I did not think it possible for a STB to reduce pixelisation but proof is in the pudding and i am rapped about it .

I would say because this box works so well in our finge areas the tunner must a very high sensitivity thus minimising issues with bandwith

The main area that this box was made for the Fujitsu is the replicated keys on the remote , I was told a bunch if BS from one of the retailers the scaling but after playing with this thing man i love it .

IMHO anyone buying a Fujitsu plasma should also grab on of these babies

[Aqua]

Thank you Glenn for your review of the AUSID with the Fujitsu.

Appreciate the detail, time and effort you put in to this report.

A month ago I saw the 50” 40 series WS model operating with the AUSID box, so today I went back to see it again……….nice!

AUSID STB today selling for $500.

[Foggy]

AUSID STB today selling for $500.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Where??

[Aqua]

Betta Electrical Minchinbury Superstore

Cnr John Hines Ave & Gt Western Hwy, Minchinbury.

James is the TV expert there.

Unfortunately they had to move the Fujitsu from its prime position because of Craig Lowndes coming to the store tonight, but I was lucky to view it for at least 20 minutes before they moved it!

[glenncol]

Betta Electrical Minchinbury Superstore

Cnr John Hines Ave & Gt Western Hwy, Minchinbury.

James is the TV expert there.

Unfortunately they had to move the Fujitsu from its prime position because of Craig Lowndes coming to the store tonight, but I was lucky to view it for at least 20 minutes before they moved it!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now thats a bloody good price

Foggy jump dude

[Foggy]

Betta Electrical Minchinbury Superstore

Cnr John Hines Ave & Gt Western Hwy, Minchinbury.

James is the TV expert there.

Unfortunately they had to move the Fujitsu from its prime position because of Craig Lowndes coming to the store tonight, but I was lucky to view it for at least 20 minutes before they moved it!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now thats a bloody good price

Foggy jump dude

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're evil Glenn, you're turning me into another Angelo!

I was going to wait for the TF7000.... but it's only $500

[glenncol]

Betta Electrical Minchinbury Superstore

Cnr John Hines Ave & Gt Western Hwy, Minchinbury.

James is the TV expert there.

Unfortunately they had to move the Fujitsu from its prime position because of Craig Lowndes coming to the store tonight, but I was lucky to view it for at least 20 minutes before they moved it!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now thats a bloody good price

Foggy jump dude

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're evil Glenn, you're turning me into another Angelo!

I was going to wait for the TF7000.... but it's only $500

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mate we will have you catching up to Angelo and Myself before long

[Guest misterlee]

I just called Betta Electrical Minchinbury and at first they didn't even know what AUSID was. Then I said 'the one that was being demo'ed with the Fuji' and then they remembered. They said the HD one was $660 however, not $500.

Might pop in on the weekend to check it out.

[swatt]

Betta Electrical Minchinbury Superstore

Cnr John Hines Ave & Gt Western Hwy, Minchinbury.

James is the TV expert there.

Unfortunately they had to move the Fujitsu from its prime position because of Craig Lowndes coming to the store tonight, but I was lucky to view it for at least 20 minutes before they moved it!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>