TEST REPORT

Combo Receiver

Jiuzhou Combo PVR DTS6695 for Europe

Great for the whole family thanks to Internet access Smart power supply with external power unit Sufficient channel memory Seamless integration of Internet services offered by TV channels Easy software update

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TEST REPORT

Combo Receiver
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A single box for DVB-S/S2 and DVB-T reception

Jiuzhous combo receiver DTS6695 is so new it arrived at the TELE-satellite editorial office in a blank white box devoid of any logo or description. When we opened the box we were in for another surprise: Well aware of its increasingly prominent position as global supplier of top-notch receivers, Jiuzhou has made a smart move towards being compatible with all sorts of power supplies and mains sockets the receiver itself comes without a power pack at all, which instead is supplied as an external unit, depending on the destination country. A simple 12V power socket is positioned on the receivers back panel, and all you need to do is hook up the external power pack that comes with the box, or you may even use any existing device as long as it provides 12V DC with a minimum of 2.5A. As our test unit came without a power pack, we simply chose the latter option and used one of our existing units which worked just fine. They say that first impressions go a long way, and Jiuzhou packs all components of the DTS6695 into a stylish 26cm case featuring six buttons on the front panel for operation without a remote control. A CI+ compatible card reader is hidden behind a flap, as well as a USB 2.0 interface. A four-digit segment display and an LED indicating the operating mode round off the front panel. The receivers front panel comes in black, while the case itself is silver even though this design statement may not go down well with all potential buyers we found that the colour mix works quite well. Lets have a look at the back panel now, which is filled to the brim with all connection options you will ever need. Apart from the standard tuner input and loop-through outputs (for DVB-S/S2 and DVB-T) you will of course find a HDMI output for excellent video quality, an electrical S/PDIF

output for mind-blowing surround sound, and a network interface for linking up to a local LAN. Added to that are a total of eight RCA jacks for stereo audio, CVBS and YUV video, and an S-Video socket, scart euroconnector and RS 232 interface. In case youre wondering about the main switch: There is none on the back panel of the DTS6695, because with an external power pack there is no need for one. The remote control that comes with the receiver also leaves a positive impression with its easy-to-use layout and great ergonomics. When you turn on the receiver for the first time all you will likely see is a No channel message, which

means that you should start out with running a channel scan. To that end all you need to do is press the MENU button to call up the perfectly neat main menu, which is easy to navigate and also pleasing to the eye. Working yourself through the individual entries you first make sure the receiver cooperates with your LCD or plasma TV, before taking the next step and setting up the receiver to work with your antenna configuration.
1. Main menu of the DTS6695 2. Basic settings of the DTS6695 3. Satellite settings 4. Automatic channel search on several satellites 5. Manual channel search in DVB-T mode

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Jiuzhou Combo PVR DTS6695 Top-notch receiver for the whole family

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Obviously the new Jiuzhou box makes sure users in many countries can understand its on-screen display, and the choice of menu languages goes far beyond the classics such as English, French and German. Speakers of Spanish, Italian, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, Czech, Dutch and Romanian will be happy to learn that their language is available as well. The selection of languages also goes to show that the DTS6695 is geared towards the European market. The list of pre-set countries for DVB-T reception underpins that impression as it only includes European countries. Using the HDMI output the video signal can be processed in 576p, 720p and 1080i and we cannot praise highly enough a dedicated button on the remote to switch between these settings on the fly, without having to go through a menu. Now that the DTS6695 has become a perfect match for our TV, we proceed to the next stage and introduce it to our reception equipment high up on the roof. Jiuzhou ships its new box with a list of 64 pre-stored European satellite positions, all of which come with suitably current transponder data. As far as LOFs are concerned, the Jiuzhou receiver offers a range of pre-set oscillator frequencies for the C and Ku bands, as well as a manual option for those outof-the-ordinary settings. All DiSEqC protocols are
6. Automatic channel search via satellite 7. Channel editing and sorting options 8. Several favourites lists are available 9. LAN configuration 10. Web browser address field

supported so that the receiver will work with standard multi-feed antennas for up to four LNBs just as well as with multi-focus antennas for up to 16 LNBs and with motorised antennas using either the DiSEqC 1.2 or 1.3 protocols. Big cheers from us for such brilliant DiSEqC implementation! The channel memory can hold up to 4000 channel entries and in order to fill it up a single touch of a button takes you to the channel search menu. On the left section of the screen there is a list of all available satellites for selection (several entries can selected at once), while the righthand section shows various search modes and options such as free-to-air channels only, radio or TV only, network search mode, and so on. Once you have made all relevant settings the green function key activates the automatic signal search. We selected HOTBIRD 13 East for our test and the Jiuzhou DTS6695 took slightly more than eight minutes to scan the entire frequency range. The DVB-T scan was completed in less than a minute. If you need to add individual channels at a later stage you should perform a manual search, which is available for both DVB-T and DVB-S/S2. In satellite mode the Jiuzhou box even allows manual PID input. The modulation type is always detected automatically by the receiver. A search on one of the major European satellite platforms may easily yield 1000 or even more channel entries, so organising and managing all those channels is of the essence. Luckily, the channel editor of the DTS6695 is your

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best friend when it comes to bringing some order to your list. It can be used to delete, move or rename channels, or to perform an automatic channel sorting. Thanks to several favourites lists you (and all the other members of your family with their individual favourites list) will find your favourite channels in next to no time at all. Now that the Jiuzhou receiver is tailored to your needs and those of your satellite antenna(s) its finally time to check out how it performs its core task: TV and radio reception. To start with, we should emphasise the DTS6695s video and audio quality, which is nothing short of brilliant and was able to impress everybody in our editorial offices. Every time a new channel is called up the receiver shows a smartly designed info bar for a few seconds, which displays the name of the current and next event. With the help of the receivers clearly laid out EPG it is even possible to use it as a seven-day TV guide, as long as individual channels transmit the required data. Zapping equals fun with the DTS6695, since channels can be grouped into favourites lists and are thus always at your fingertips. Speaking of zapping: It only takes about one second until the selected channel appears on screen so theres nothing in the way of exploring the wide range of channel offerings. Thanks to the neat info bar we were always kept up to date about current and upcoming events as well. The comprehensive range of features of the new Jiuzhou receiver is rounded off with an OSD teletext decoder, an audio option to switch between different audio tracks (if provided by the channel) and a subtitle mode. We even discovered a handy little feature of the channel list which allows searching for a specific channel by keying in the first letter(s) of its name. If you need to change between DVB-T and DVB-S/ S2 reception there is a dedicated button on the remote and we found that switching worked flawlessly in any event. When we mentioned the USB interface on the front panel earlier on you might have guessed already that the DTS6695 comes with PVR capability. The USB socket can be used to attach an external storage

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11. Software upgrades can be performed via satellite or with a USB stick 12. MP3 playback 13. JPEG picture viewer 14. The DTS6695 is able to play back video files with a variety of formats 15. Playback of a HD video in H.264 format 16. Playback of a HD video in Divx format 17. Channel list with satellite selection 18. TELE-satellite website as displayed on the LCD TV using the DTS6695 browser 19. Info bar with title of current and next event 20. EPG 21. Interactive multimedia services of Bayerischer Rundfunk 22. Extended EPG 23. Interactive multimedia services of Bayerischer Rundfunk 24. Interactive multimedia services of Sat.1 25. Video on demand via Internet

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medium, even though this means that the flap on the front panel has to stay open while the USB interface is in use. We tested all PVR functions of the box and could not fault any of them. But then again, we would not expect anything less from Jiuzhou. These days PVR receivers dont just record and play back events, and the DTS6695 is no exception: It can be your MP3 jukebox, your image viewer and your video player for TS, MPEG and DivX files, to name just a few formats. If you dont want to stop at DTH satellite reception, you will be interested to find out more about the high quality and low threshold of the satellite tuner used by Jiuzhou. As you know we like to push all tested models to the limit and in this case we are pleased to state that the DTS6695 passed all tests with flying colours. It accepted and processed weak signals (C/N values starting from just 5 dB) just as well as SCPC signals from approximately 2 MS/s. The only thing that is missing with the Jiuzhou DTS6695 is a blind scan mode. The Internet has become a driving force in our life, and no matter how we view that development, being online is almost a fact of life these days. Posting on social networks, checking mails and chatting with family and
26. The DTS6695 can also display current weather information 27. ARD Mediathek (online content library) 28. Teletext 29. HDTV channels via DVB-S2 are processed flawlessly by the DTS6695 30. Channel list restriction to DVB-T reception

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friends all over the globe are part of our daily routine, so its only logical that Jiuzhou has made its DTS6695 fully Internet-ready. The receiver comes with an Ethernet interface on the hardware side, and Internet browser on the software side so that users can go online during commercial breaks. Remember the time when a game of Tetris on a satellite receiver was considered cool? These days you go online rather than play games. Obviously the Jiuzhou box supports all required protocols such as DHCP, for example, and therefore behaves similar to a PC in your local network. One of the reasons for supplying the DTS6695 with a network interface is the emergence of interactive TV. HbbTV (Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV) is the name of a service that is already offered in a number of European countries such as Germany (ARD, ZDF, Sat1/Pro7, Vox, QVC, etc.), France and Spain, to name but a few. If a viewer watches an HbbTV channel the receiver will automatically detect this feature, establish an Internet connection and display a message indicating available HbbTV content. If you then want to switch from the regular channel to corresponding additional information you simply press the red function key in order to call up comprehensive background content which may range from advanced EPG and current news and weather all the way to extensive content libraries or on-demand services. In our view, one of the most useful features is a content library: Many channels offer their programming for on-

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Expert Opinion
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TECHNICAL
DATA
Manufacturer Jiuzhou (Sichuan Jiuzhou Electric Group Co., Ltd.) 7F, Jiuzhou Electric Building, Southern No. 12 Road Hi-Tech Industrial Park, Nanshan District, Shenzhen Guangdong 518057, China +86-755-26947128 sales8@d-telemedia.com DTS6695 / 950-2150 MHz 177.5 - 226.5 MHz and 474 - 858 MHz 2-45 Ms/s ( ) & 2-30 Ms/s ( )

Perfect DVB-S/S2 and DVB-T combo receiver with PVR for the living room. The stable and sophisticated software did not show any sign of weakness during our test. Whats more, innovative features such as a web browser and access to interactive multimedia services and online content libraries put this receiver well ahead of the competition.

Thomas Haring TELE-satellite Test Center Austria

Tel. Email Model Input frequency Input frequency Symbol rates SCPC compatible

We were not able to activate WiFi reception, even though a dedicated menu entry pretended that it should work.

yes (tested >2 Ms/s) 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 yes yes yes (up to 1080i in MPEG-4 AVC/ H.264) F-type 75 Ohm QPSK, 8PSK, 16 QAM, 64 QAM yes yes yes no yes yes yes yes yes 12V, 2.5A

ENERGY
33 34
DIAGRAM

DiSEqC EPG C/KU band compatible HDTV support Input terminal

Apparent Power

Modulations HDMI YUV, CVBS, Stereo Audio

Active Power

S-Video RF-Modulator

Mode Active StandBy

Apparent Active Factor 5W 1 W 0.2 21 W 10 W 0.47

Ethernet USB 2.0 RS232 PVR Function

line viewing on your PC after the actual broadcast date. Using HbbTV, receivers like the DTS6695 can now access these offerings directly on the TV, so you dont need your PC monitor any longer for watching TV. All you need for it to work is an HbbTV compatible receiver like the Jiuzhou DTS6695 and an Internet connection with a bandwidth of at least 2 Mb/s. Of course we tried out the HbbTV feature and found that it works flawlessly. We particularly enjoyed various content libraries and at the same time stayed up to date with the latest news and weather reports. The new Jiuzhou DTS6695 has left a lasting impression with us and proves yet again that Jiuzhou is one of the most innovative companies in the satellite business. Its latest offspring boasts topquality workmanship and worked flawlessly throughout our test. In addition, the manufacturer never stops improving the software (which can be updated either with a USB stick or

31. Channel list restriction to favorite lists 32. Channel list restriction to individual satellites 33, 34. SCPC reception via TURKSAT 42 East

HbbTV

First 15 minutes: Standby; Second 15 minutes: Active use with cannel switching and PVR operation

Power supply

via satellite) so that you can expect additional features every now and then. Whats even more important, any potential software bugs can easily be solved as quickly as possible.

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