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Metronic Sat HD 100

Metronics Freesat HD zapper arrives just in time for Christmas but it is it naughty or nice?

The Opposition

Humax Foxsat-HD Still the best zapper for enthusiasts with the sharpest Freesat EPG presentation. PVR now available
The launch of Freesat was marred slightly by an initial shortage of boxes but now the second wave of product launches is getting underway. This HD zapper hasnt garnered as much attention as the rst Freesat PVR from Humax, but it does give us a glimpse into what Metronics own PVR could be like when it appears in early 2009.
Appearance and connectivity
Bush BFSAT01 HD The best of the Alba HD boxes but without multimedia playback or many of the menu options oered by the Metronic
Aesthetically, the Metronic doesnt deviate too far from its Freesat siblings; its all-black stylings and diminutive size fall in line with boxes from Grundig and Bush. The plastic fascia has no display to speak of just an LED indicator but does have a row of ve buttons for volume, channel-changing and power. Theres no CI slot this is strictly FTA. Backplate connectors include an LNB loopthrough but, unlike the Humax Foxsat-HD, there is no DiSEqC software installed. AV connectors lean pleasingly towards the higher end
of the quality spectrum. An HDMI output is 1.2 standard, but you have the ability to turn o HDCP in the menus should this create an issue for your TV. Add to this twin Scarts, both with S-video and composite output, plus RGB out on the TV Scart (the receiver can output via Scart and HDMI at the same time). Theres also an optical digital audio output with Dolby passthrough but no phono option. Data ports comprise Ethernet for the promised Freesat on-demand services while a USB port sits between the HDMI and power input. This can be used to install software updates from a ash drive (also achievable via satellite) and adds the bonus of multimedia playback, although chunky drives can be a tight t. Happily, the power supply is 12V, making the Sat 100 suitable for watching FTA channels in a dish-equipped caravan. The remote control is clearly designed with the forthcoming PVR in mind, having prominent VCR-style

Interface

You can scan selected transponders on a satellite if you wish, which is a lot quicker than full scans if you know what youre loking for 102 What Satellite & Digital TV January 2009
The Freesat EPG looks better than that on the Alba boxes but functions the same way. Non-Freesat channels get their own EPG
The programme information bar is nicely presented, but skipping through data can be quite an erratic experience

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Test SATELLITE

The Freesat EPG looks a little prettier and more hi-res than that found on Freesat zappers from the Alba group. Nevertheless, it functions in pretty much the same way. You can bring up a guide for all channels or choose to view only data for channels that conform to a certain genre, such as news or movies. Information is displayed as a smoothly scrolling full-screen grid of up to seven channels at a time which can be skipped in periods of 24 hours up to seven days in advance with synopses shown at the top. From here, you can schedule timer events with once, daily and weekly repeat options. Non-Freesat channels get a programme banner and their own EPG. This shows a list of data for the selected channel only, which can be browsed day by day, while the selected channel is shown on the right in a window. You can also play MP3 les and JPEG images from ash drives inserted in the USB port, giving the HD 100 the edge on other HD zappers. We had no trouble playing les in these formats, although the receiver had a tendency to automatically re-size images in an odd fashion. It will also play MPEG-2 video les.

Tech Data

Freesat only scan: 2m 0s
buttons. It has a few too many similarly sized pads organised in neat rows to be considered intuitive, although they are reasonably easy to see in the dark.
Full scan, Astra 2/Eurobird: 22.5m

Setup and use

Freesat channels are tuned automatically after punching in your postcode to gauge which region youre in, and therefore which version of BBC One and Two should sit at 101 and 102 in the EPG (you can choose alternatives afterwards). This took two minutes. Or you can use the manual setup. Here you can opt to scan transponders from a list, by NIT, or scan an entire satellite. Yes, you can scan other satellites but this can be slow (a full Astra 2/Eurobird scan took 22.5 mins), you cant specify FTA only, and theres no DiSEqC. The single list of FTA and scrambled channels can be sorted A-Z, Z-A into SD and HD channels, or by network You can also put channels into groups labelled Movie, Music, Sports, Shopping, Guide, News, Scramble FTA and favourites 1 or 2 and pin-lock them.
Power consumption: In use: 24W Standby: 3W Common interface supports: N/A

Performance

Available picture output settings are PAL, 576p, 720p and 1080i, although SD is not upscaled. Theres an array of picture-tweaking options available, including sharpness and hue and even a noise-reduction option (if your television set doesnt have one already, that is). Predictably, its the HDMI output that wins in the picture stakes, delivering smooth and natural-looking results from SD channels while those from BBC HD look as sharp as youd expect. Unfortunately, RGB Scart pictures tend to look pale especially skintones something that is not fully overcome by altering the picture settings. Stepping down, as expected S-video and composite pictures show another slight dip in quality. Sound quality is reasonably crisp, however, especially when pumped through the optical output Grant Rennell

Features

No. LNB inputs: 1 LNB loopthrough: Yes DiSEqC: N/A No. channels: 200 Selectable FEC: No Symbol rate: 2-45Ms/s CAM: None Common interface: None Teletext: DVB decoded EPG: DVB now-and-next/Freesat 7-day Timer: 7 days UHF modulator tuning: N/A Software upgrade: USB, OTA Data ports: Ethernet, USB SD out: TV Scart (composite/S-video/ RGB), VCR Scart (S-video/composite) HD out: HDMI (576p, 720p or 1080i) Audio out: Optical digital audio (Dolby Digital bitstream-compatible)

Navigation and features

The menu system looks great and is easy to navigate. The quickest way to call up channels is to press the list button, while pressing Info or Up on the remote calls up the programme information banner. This includes details and a progress bar for the current programme, and it can be expanded to view synopses. Pressing the left and right menu buttons lets you scan ahead to see whats coming up on the current channel, but this proved rather erratic with some SD channels. Browsing info for Five, for example, we found occasional gaps in information ranging from three to 12 hours, suggesting that a few bugs still needed attention.

TV Scart (composite/ S-video/RGB

Verdict

The Sat HD 100 wont tempt enthusiasts away from the Humax Foxsat-HD, but on its own merits it performs reasonably well. Multimedia playback is a nice touch in particular. Perhaps the forthcoming PVR will be Metronics ace in the hole.

Ratings

HD and SD pictures via HDMI Multimedia playback Easy navigation Slow scans Scart pictures could be better
S/PDIF output with Dolby support

Ethernet port (not used)

12V power supply
Build Setup Searching Navigation Performance Features Value

LNB loopthrough

VCR Scart (S-video/ composite)

HDMI output

USB port for updates/ multimedia
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