Reviews: SatHawk PVR800 WorldDVB DVB-S2 HD FTA Receiver

[Jim S.]

It does timeshift. But it seems it only time shifts a program you are recording, so you have to hit record then pause to time shift, and your time shifting content is recorded. You can't just hit pause and then hit stop when you are done like other receivers, and you are left with the file when done timeshifting. To turn time shift on you must go into menu and under DVR setup there is an option.

I'm not sure what you mean.

If I hit pause when I'm watching a program, it brings up a timeshift display, and if I hit pause again, it pauses. You can then scroll back and forth with the right and left arrows and resume with the OK button, or you can hit play to resume. You can't just hit pause to resume though, because the pause button changes into a single-step button.

You can also get into the timeshift mode by hitting the recall button, which is NOT what I expected the recall button to do! (By the way, IS there any way to get a last-channel function from this unit?)

The only thing I can't figure out is how you get rid of the timeshift bar when you're done! Even if I hit stop, it stays up. The only way I can get rid of it is by changing channels, which is non-optimal...


More info... I found that it does indeed leave the last program that you paused on the disk. But I don't have to hit the record button to use pause, reverse, etc. on a live program.

 

[Mr Tony]

Exactly, I see what Iceberg means now, I have hdmi out to my htpc, ac3 runs through my Pioneer 1019 a/v receiver which does the decoding

ok thats what I figured

The azbox sends both audio and video through the HDMI...even AC-3

 

[brentb636]

Its working with HDMI here, I was watching the PBS channels on 125 a bit ago with sound. LCPM does not work and the box defaults to that, changed to BS and it works.

That answers my question, sorry for any confusion.

 

[starman345]

That answers my question, sorry for any confusion.

Sorry I added to it Brent, I should have read all the posts here before jumping in

 

[Sadoun]

After a day playing with it, here are my quick synopsis of pros cons (some of which lak7 mirrors)...the bolded one IMO are big

Pros:
Fast Blind Scan - DVB & DVB-S2...faster than my Coolsat
No need for DVB-S2 FEC and Pilot, just need Freq - Polarity - Scan Rate
Easy to use, especially since there is no Manual
Menu Layout...very simple menus
Fast Boot compared to AZBox
Runs cool
Easy to delete/move/rename channels
Motor is spot on both Diseqc 1.2 and USALS
63 motor settings for Diseqc 1.2 (some receivers only have 20-25)
Has "remove USB safely" option so no need to shut machine off
HD picture looks beautiful

Cons:
Motor will not move if you select a Horizontal Transponder...edit: found a workaround. Select a V transponder channel and the dish moves. Then select a H transponder on same satellite and it will still move. You just can't make the motor "start" on a H transponder
No Channel Editor...have to do everything through the manual
Channels deleted after Firmware Update
No indication of DVB-S or DVB-S2
No 4:2:2 support...get a gobbly gook screen
If unit is set to 1080i, the Menus do not work via the SD Video output (yellow cable)
Will not play AC-3 audio through HDMI or RCA cables. Will play through coaxial or optical plug
Will freeze if press too many buttons too quickly
Will not record high bitrate feeds
When you blind scan it automatically scans 11700-12900 which takes up time. (but blind scan is still fast)

Havent tested fully
PVR (like will it put the file as one or break ups)
Dolby digital output...will a Sonic Voom work properly with it....edit: worked with sonic voom. It will work if the option is selected in the menus
Switch setup.....sounds like right now it wont work with multiple LNB's or 22k & motorized

Very good review there Iceberg.

I hope someone can summarize/compile all the issues with this receiver so we can address them with the factory and hopefully get some solutions in future FW updates.

 

[Jim S.]

Sadoun,

I think the first thing that should be done, if it can be, is to allow re-loading the firmware without erasing all your satellite and channel settings. Or at least, allowing the satellite and channel settings to be saved and re-loaded.

 

[Jim S.]

I don't know if this is a design flaw in the receiver or in my cheap external hard drive enclosure, but I found that if I have a power supply connected to the drive enclosure, turning off the power switch on the back of the SatHawk does nothing, other than dim the front-panel display a small amount. It just keeps running. It's a good thing that this is an ultra-low-power receiver!

On a positive note, I subsequently discovered that the receiver supplies enough current on the USB port that I don't need to power the drive enclosure. The drive I'm using is such a pig that neither my Coolsat nor 3 out of 4 computers that I've tried will run it without an external power supply. Now this receiver will. That's just weird.

 

[Lak7]

I'm confused, as usual....
Is AC3 sound working via HDMI?

 

[Mr Tony]

I'm confused, as usual....
Is AC3 sound working via HDMI?

no
the only way to get AC-3 audio is through the coaxial or optical ports to an external audio decoder

In this case, HDMI only passes video and MPEG audio

 

[Mr Tony]

Sadoun,

I think the first thing that should be done, if it can be, is to allow re-loading the firmware without erasing all your satellite and channel settings. Or at least, allowing the satellite and channel settings to be saved and re-loaded.

I agree. A way to save channel list would be great

 

[Jim S.]

no
the only way to get AC-3 audio is through the coaxial or optical ports to an external audio decoder

In this case, HDMI only passes video and MPEG audio

Mine sends AC3 out over the HDMI cable. (When set to bitstream mode, of course.) It's not decoded, but it's there for my surround sound receiver to decode. There may be two sources of confusion here. First, I don't know if TVs decode AC3 received via HDMI, and second, there are a ton of old and/or cheap surround sound systems that won't decode AC3 from HDMI, but just pass the signal through unaltered so you can use them as a video switch.

Disclaimer: the only test sources I have are Russia Today and The Pentagon Channel, and both of them only have 2.0 AC3. I don't have a 5.1 AC3 signal to test. But it shouldn't make any difference, bitstream mode shouldn't alter the audio stream in any way.

 

[i4tas]

I don't know if this is a design flaw in the receiver or in my cheap external hard drive enclosure, but I found that if I have a power supply connected to the drive enclosure, turning off the power switch on the back of the SatHawk does nothing, other than dim the front-panel display a small amount. It just keeps running. It's a good thing that this is an ultra-low-power receiver!

On a positive note, I subsequently discovered that the receiver supplies enough current on the USB port that I don't need to power the drive enclosure. The drive I'm using is such a pig that neither my Coolsat nor 3 out of 4 computers that I've tried will run it without an external power supply. Now this receiver will. That's just weird.

So are you telling me that your receiver works with the power cable unplugged? And it somehow takes the power from usb 2.0 to keep the voltages it needs to keep running?

 

[Lak7]

I don't have a 5.1 AC3 signal to test.

Can you get any of the PBS from 125 west Ku?

 

[Mr Tony]

Mine sends AC3 out over the HDMI cable. (When set to bitstream mode, of course.) It's not decoded, but it's there for my surround sound receiver to decode. There may be two sources of confusion here. First, I don't know if TVs decode AC3 received via HDMI, and second, there are a ton of old and/or cheap surround sound systems that won't decode AC3 from HDMI, but just pass the signal through unaltered so you can use them as a video switch.

Jim
When I have the azbox hooked up to HDMI and I select any of the PBS stations except Montana (which doesnt have AC-3) I get audio through the TV speakers and through the rca plugs (red/white). Most of the time the only cable hooked between the TV and the azbox is the HDMI cable

When I do the same thing with the Sathawk I get no sound through either. Not through the HDMI and not through the rca plugs. I only get it through the coaxial output through the sonic voom device

 

[Jim S.]

So are you telling me that your receiver works with the power cable unplugged? And it somehow takes the power from usb 2.0 to keep the voltages it needs to keep running?

Actually I didn't try pulling the power cable. I probably should. I threw the switch on the back of the unit, which should've disconnected the power.

OK, here's what happens if I pull the power cable: the receiver stays apparently operational, meaning the menus work and everything, but there's no signal, presumably due to no LNB power. The reason I didn't know this before is because the reason that I threw the power switch was because it had locked up (they really need to figure out why it locks up so much!), and thus I didn't know that there was no signal.

 

[Jim S.]

Can you get any of the PBS from 125 west Ku?

Nope, trees. I can barely make it to 103

 

[Jim S.]

When I do the same thing with the Sathawk I get no sound through either. Not through the HDMI and not through the rca plugs. I only get it through the coaxial output through the sonic voom device

Right, I'm not saying that it decodes AC3. But it does send AC3 over the HDMI cable, just like it does through the coaxial output. Apparently your TV doesn't decode it.

 

[Mr Tony]

Actually I didn't try pulling the power cable. I probably should. I threw the switch on the back of the unit, which should've disconnected the power.

I tried that and it didnt work

kept the HDD plugged in and disconnected the receiver from the a/c and nothing

 

[Mr Tony]

Right, I'm not saying that it decodes AC3. But it does send AC3 over the HDMI cable, just like it does through the coaxial output. Apparently your TV doesn't decode it.

but the azbox decodes it fine through the exact same cable setup

 

[Mr Tony]

also the power adapter plug I got was junk...sat very loose in the surge protector so the box would reboot all the time

went to rat shack and got a universal grounded one for 10 bucks and works great