How Important is the STB Front Panel Display?

[Anole]

opinions

Seemed like most of the comments were negative, while the voting was more distributed.
Maybe we should hear from more of the folks who like/use the display, and why/how.
Or, maybe my bias filter just appreciated the negative comments more.

My big HD TV has a blue LED that's on for AC power, and off when you power up the set.
That's actually fine for a TV.

My little HD TV has an orange LED for AC power, and it goes blue when you power up the set.
I appreciate the color change to let you know it's still alive, and the blue LED is -not- blinding.

My DVD player has a red LED for AC power, and goes off when you power it up.
Of course, the white alpha-numeric display comes on showing words to let you know what it's doing.
Even though I can't read the white display across the room, it's comforting to see the red LED change state when I hit the remote.

My external OTA dual tuner is a Silicon digital HD HomeRun
If plugged in, it's powered. No switch.
It has a green power LED far to the left. (always on)
Centrally located behind a black-out panel are three more equally spaced green LEDs.
Left-most is a LAN-active lite (should be on if plugged into network - doesn't blink)
The right two come on if their respective tuner is being accessed.
From across the room, it's impossible to tell which green LEDs are lit; the LAN LED should have been orange.

For a Satellite Receiver:
I'd say that some LEDs would be sufficient.
Can't see display from across the room, anyway.
Power LED, orange/red when Off, and blue/green when On (blank only when unplugged)
IR LED which blinks when receiving a signal from the remote control (could be double duty with power LED)
Scan LED, which comes on when blind scanning, and blinks when a live transponder is found. (yellow?)
Recording LED, which comes on when recording to the hard drive, if feature is available. (red?)
HD LED, on if tuned to a high def signal. (low priority)
S2 LED, on if tuned to an S2 signal. (low priority)

LEDs should be well spaced and different colors so you can tell which is which from across the room.
Maybe an alternative alpha display could be fitted to one wide cutout in the case front, and covered with a smoky screen.
Introduce the high end model first, and a few months later offer the lower priced LED-only model.
Sell the alpha numeric panel as an option so if I buy a used LED model, I can upgrade it.

Product naming:
Pansats are 2500, 2800, 3500, 9000, 9200. Easy names, simple, and clear.
Viewsats have multiple annoying words to denote the model; I have one, and still can't remember which it is.
AZboxes are an example of poor naming.
I realize "HD", "PVR", and "S2" might be meaningful in a name, but keeping it simple has its own elegance.

 

[yuccabrevifolia]

Anole has some excellent thoughts on the subject. If there is a display, I think it would be useful to have an indicator that lights up for each function. I'm thinking of something similar to the display on a stereo receiver, where different functions (words) would light up when active, S2 4:2:2, scan, record, motor moving etc along the bottom of the display. The display itself could have satellite and signal strength as the main display. These are the two items that I check the most frequently. If there is a display it should be bright and/or have a nighttime dimmer. The display on my Sonicview is hard to read during the day because it is relatively dim in a lighted room.

If there isn't a display, it would be nice to have power, signal (like the satellite icon on the Moto DSR410), and some means of telling if you were recording (if it has PVR capability). I find it easy to see at a glance the state of the DSR410 because it is simple to see whether or not it is on and has a signal. On an FTA receiver, the signal led would be keyed to quality I would think. These are the two most critical items for me. Without a display, less cluttered is better. My $0.02

 

[greg harris]

I checked "Other" because I would like to know what the cost savings is if you do not have a alphanumeric display? In other words, how much money will we save on the purchase price of a receiver if the alphanumeric display is not included? I bet it is not much. GregH

 

[SatelliteAV]

I checked "Other" because I would like to know what the cost savings is if you do not have a alphanumeric display? In other words, how much money will we save on the purchase price of a receiver if the alphanumeric display is not included? I bet it is not much. GregH

The front panel display inclusion is not about cost. I don't believe that most of us make major equipment purchase decisions based on a twenty dollar bill. We typically make purchase decisions based on the look, feel, function and ease of use. BTW.... A high function multi-purpose VFD will only add $20 - $30 retail, while a standard 4 digit LED $10.

My interest for this poll is confirming what hobbyists want on the front panel of their favorite satellite receiver. Purely about function and aesthetics for useful device interaction. Media player STBs are just a stylish black box with ports. The current design in personal electronics is minimalism and clean lines, something that is not usually associated with satellite receivers. What displays or indicators do you want to confirm STB operation?

My personal equipment lives hidden in racks and cabinets. I use computers and a smart phone to program and control my media experience. During daily operation I don't want to see numbers, names, or even status indicators unless I want confirmation of process. I have too many clocks already, why do I want another? The only time I need an indicator or display is to trouble shoot.... Are we on the right track or not? This project isn't going to be about meeting my personal needs or wants..... We want to build a machine for you!

Next up will be another poll about what you want on the back panel..... besides 1080p HDMI 1.3.

 

[greg harris]

OK. From what you have written, I would guess the numeric display costs somewhere between 5-10% of the total retail price of the receiver. I do not think it is worth that much. My receiver is sitting on channel 0008 right now and I have no idea what that is without looking at the tv to find out. So it is about useless for me.

I think the channel number could be displayed just as well for me onscreen. I would also like to see an onscreen clock that would synchronize automatically(if possible).
Thanks for answering my question. GregH

 

[ghia]

Indicator light if the unit it powered on. No indicator needed if power is off. minimum

Clock and meter for SQ SS switchable between the two preferred.

VFD display preferred.

 

[mr3p]

VFD is nice but I'd rather have a receiver which is 20-30.00 less as quoted. I currently have an Azbox Ultra and there are just two LEDs which honestly aren't even used as well as they could be.
A single multi-colored LED could display green=power, red=recording, orange=whatever else. A second or third multicolored LED could be used to specify things like LAN, resolution, etc. I would agree with greg's comments about good on screen display.

I'm not advocating small dish service but most current DirecTV/Dishnetwork DVRs have no VFD or numerical display and most users seem to navigate just fine with on-screen menus.

Brian, Thanks for considering to bring a new box to market

 

[Anole]

I'd like to say a few words about cheap 7-segment displays, with uneven illumination.
They look cheesy, and convey little.
They don't even come in third in a 3-horse race.

If ya feel the need to get elegant, then a big VFD is second choice.
But the $30 savings by leaving it out, would drive sales significantly.

 

[Mikhel]

Best to have a colored light (green or blue) indicating ON. Red OFF indicator is good for determining that the receiver has power.

And a dim red, a bright red LED sometimes gets in the way while trying to sleep.

I rarely use the front panel display, though if it displayed the sat and name of the channel would be a big plus (i think the CaptiveWorks 800s do that).

Now... led lights to indicate: power on/off, transponder lock, and recording, sometimes it's more useful than an alphanumerical front panel display.

 

[Mikey11]

as long as it shows the channel number while watching tv and the clock when on standby im happy....dont really need anything more....now that i really think about it i dont even really need the clock because i have other sub receivers close by that have clocks....

so i guess my vote would be not important at all....it would be the least of my concerns when choosing a new box....

 

[AcWxRadar]

Well, I voted for LEDs and 7-seg displays / VFDs (use all the time). However, this is not because I use these features on the machines I have, but because I think they could be used to the benefit of the owner if they really informed you of something important. I am looking at it from Brian's point made here:

I have too many clocks already, why do I want another? The only time I need an indicator or display is to trouble shoot.... Are we on the right track or not? This project isn't going to be about meeting my personal needs or wants..... We want to build a machine for you!

With that lead-in, allow me to explain more in depth.

But, first of all, get rid of the ultra-bright JUMBO LEDs. We usually watch TV in a darkened room, we don't need an LED or display that can be seen from the ISS in daylight! Color and orientation of specific LEDs would be able to inform a person of a lot of things.

The 7-seg display or VFD is useful to display the CLOCK, channel, satellite and other info etc. However, if you are connected to a TV, you will know most all of that information via the TV already (as several have pointed out). If you don't have a TV connected or it is inoperative, you certainly aren't getting much good use from your STB.

A blue LED that is ON steady to indicate that POWER is ON and that ramps slowly between OFF and ON when the unit is in standby mode and is totally OFF when the unit is completely powered OFF would be benefical.

A red LED that blinks ON and OFF rapidly when a recording event is about to begin (for about five minutes ahead of time) and then is ON steady when a recording is underway would be beneficial.

A yellow or amber LED that blinks while data is being exchanged (such as during the booting or upgrade or scanning processes or ethernet activity). If no activity is ocurring it would be off. If a request is made, but a response isn't acknowledged or detected, it would remain ON steady (to alert the user to a commumincation or other problem).

A green LED could be utilized to indicate the health of the internal systems. For example: When the unit is first turned ON, the green LED would flash quickly two times if the 24 VDC power is detected, pause, then flash three times if the 12 VDC power is detected, pause, then flash four times if the 5 VDC power is detected, pause, and then remain ON steady for 3 seconds while the rebooting process begins (go off) and then light up steady for three seconds once again after the rebooting process completes (if it does so successfully) and then go out.

If you incorporated all four LEDs during scanning and motor panning, you could program the red LED to indicate HOR or RH polarity or motor movement to the right or west and the green LED to indicate VER or LH polarity or motor movement to the left or east.

When scanning or panning the motor, the red or green LEDs would blink rapidly, when the process (either process) is complete, the red and green LEDs would pause ON for two or three seconds and then turn off (or resume blinking if the activity resumes). At the same time, the yellow LED would blink OFF/ON at a fast rate if the receiver is scanning. If the motor is panning, the blue LED would flash at a fast rate. Or something like that.

As for the clock, hardly no one can see the VFD or 7-seg display from across the room anyway, least not me. But, why not program a button on the remote to display the clock on the TV for a user set interval? I do a lot of recording and, although my clock seems to stay extremely accurate (within seconds) over months, I always like to assure myself. So, if I can press one button on the remote and see it thrown up on the TV, that would be so user friendly!

If you can get fancy, have another button that you can press on the remote that will display the SATELLITE (name and position) the TP frequency, polarity, symbol rate, FEC, current channel number, channel name and bar graph of the signal strength and quality. PLUS any and all the really intricate details of the channel.

You could elliminate the VFD or 7-seg display and give a huge amount of information to the user through other avenues. The engineering for this all is extremely simplistic and the hardware is absolutely dirt cheap. It is just a one time programming endeavor that should be quite inexpensive. Most receivers tell you most of this information already, you just have to incorporate what is already available into a user friendly and identifiable indication.

Certain items should remain with hard indicators such as the LEDs, but turn them OFF when there is no need to monitor them. SO when you sit down to actually watch a show, there are no lights to distract you except a very pale or dim blue LED that tells you the unit is powered up. We'll see it in most cases.

Maybe I am just making out a "wish" list, but you opened the door and asked everyone... so that is what I want for Christmas.

RADAR

P.S. I don't need the clock in the receiver to tell me what time it is, but I do want to be assured that it knows what time it is to make my scheduled recordings at the proper time. I would hate it if it was fast or slow and cut off the beginning or the end of a program and I dislike having added video at the front or the back that isn't part of the program.

 

[Tron]

My vote was for 'Other'. I do find an informative and functional alphanumeric display useful, IF it functions and is informative ... For example, I like the alphanumeric display on the Visionsat IV-200. At a glance, it tells you what's going on in basic terms. 'REC' means the unit is recording. Useful if I'm recording a program but not monitoring my recording. So, while no alphanumeric display wouldn't be a dealbreaker in itself, they can be handy.

Definitely keep the front panel navigational control buttons, I hate when I misplace the remote ...

 

[migold]

I voted - "Must HAve...". I purchased the Azbox Premium Plus mainly because of the display. On the channels that we use, I have the text showing the network. Therefore, I can see on the STB what channel it is on, without using the TV. This is handy to verify that I will get the channel that I want on sets in other rooms of the house. The extra cost is not a problem for me.
Thanks,

 

[Cadsulfide]

A minimal "hello world" indicator lamp would be plenty, (with multicolor leds on-standby- remote activity indication is possible).

 

[PopcornNMore]

I like blue LED displays. I like seeing the satellite position, satellite name, channel number or channel name on the front display like analog satellite receivers of the past. Today satellite receivers look and feel too cheap.

 

[stanleyjohn]

I have the azbox ultra and i really dont see a need for a fancy display!My other receivers do have fancy displays that i never look at.I already have to much light pollution in the house now from all the electronics!dark rooms at night in my house is becoming extinct.

 

[cmhlab]

Power on and off and a clock!

 

[Corrado]

My primary receiver is a Diamond 9000 and although it has 2 annoying blue LEDs when off, it has the channel name and number displayed on the front panel in a gray color. It was the first item that impressed me. After using it 2 years I would miss it, especially when in use for radio mode or when recording when the TV is off. The lack off such a display would be a consideration for me.

 

[PopcornNMore]

I have another subject you could do a poll on...Graphics.

I really enjoyed the graphics on the Coolsat receivers that showed the signal strength, etc. The graphics on the OpenBox S9 just don't compare, but offer additional room for longer satellite and channel names.

 

[PopcornNMore]

Add an UHF remote to this new receiver and I'll be first in line to buy one.