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Ultimate Systems 2011

Summer 2011

Freesat Freeview euro tv skyThe best kit, The best programmes

Ultimate SyStemS 2011

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Ultimate luxury systemOur money-is-no-object system picks the choicest kit, not forgetting a massive telly

EchoStar HDS-600RS – Cool-looking Freesat+ HD PVR streams TV around the home or internet to mobiles and PCs. £350, www.myechostar.com

Blade BM7000s – The price isn’t luxurious but this PVR-ready HD sat box has plenty of class. Why not buy a few? £150, www.blademedia.tv

Samsung SMT-S7800 – The new kid on the Freesat+ HD PVR block has smart apps to set it apart from the crowd. £280, www.samsung.co.uk

Samsung 55UED8000n 55in LeD beast has Freeview and Freesat HD, uSB recording and web apps to sparen £2,300, www.samsung.co.uk

TV

Virgin Media TV powered by TiVon ‘Learning’ cable box records three channels at once to its 1TB hard driven £199 n www.virginmedia.co.uk

PVR

Amstrad Sky+ HD DRX895 n With 1TB of storage this remains our favourite PVr n £250, www.sky.co.uk

PVR

Global Invacom Optiscann Next gen meter is built for electrical and optical sat installs n £953, www.globalinvacom.com

METER

Western Digital WDTV Live Hubn Acting as both 1TB NAS drive and media server this caters for all our non-TV viewing needsn £175, www.westerndigital.com

NETWORKING

Devolo dLAN 200 AV Wireless N kitn Piping media and the web around the home is made easy with this powerline kitn £80, www.devolo.co.uk

MEDIA SERVER

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KEF T-Series T205n 5.1 soundtracks including TV will sound even better with this built-to-last KeF offering n £1,500, www.kef.co.uk

SPEAKERS

Icecrypt STC600HD PVR – Excels with a choice of two satellite, DTT or cable tuners and Linux flexibility. £570 (2TB HDD), www.turbosat.com

Dreambox DM800 HD SE – Latest in the hugely popular Linux receiver range. With HD satellite and recording. £429, www.dreamboxshop.co.uk

Panasonic TX-42GT30 – Excellent TV also with Freesat HD, Freeview HD and USB recording (see Ultimate IDTV). £1,299, www.panasonic.co.uk

Onkyo TX-NR5008n This obscenely well spec’d amp will handle pretty much any audio formatn £2,400, www.onkyo.co.uk

AMPLIFIER

Technomate TM-7102 HD-T2 Super n Twin HD sat tuners, multicam a Freeview HD tuner and 1TB storage this is the ideal premium PVrn £450, www.technomate.com

PVR

Panasonic DMR-BS880n A great combi with Freesat HD tuners and Blu-ray archiving n £850, www.panasonic.co.uk

Marmitek Gigaview 820n This ace wireless videosender is ideal for multiroom HD use n £260, www.keene.co.uk

PVR

VIDEOSENDER

ThinkFlood RedEyen Control multiple devices using your Apple device with this Ir cradle and redeye appn £200, www.armourhome.co.uk

REMOTE

Primesat 1.4mwhat planning permission? this formidable 1.4m aluminium high gain prime focus antenna from satellite superstore should pick up feeds from pretty much all euro satellites. sitting on a dipped, galvanised stainless steel polar mount it’s motorised using a Jaeger 18in superjack motor and technomate v3 box and topped off with an invacom C120 flange LNBn £530 (£500 without v-Box) www.satellitesuperstore.com

Which dish?

Triax SR110 – If FTA reception is all you require this SD receiver does the business with good performance and blind search. £55, www.triax.co.uk

Icecrypt S200C VFD – Has a smart card reader and Conax CAM plus record/play of MP3 and JPEG files from external drives. £70, www.turbosat.com

Manhattan UPM – SD box with excellent software, programmable multicam, blind search and PVR via USB. £85, www.manhattan-receivers.com

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Ultimate budget sat systemTimes may be hard but you can still put together a decent satellite system, TV included for relatively little outlay

Panasonic L42E30Bn Another LeD-powered bargain from Panasonic with Freeview HD, Viera Connect apps including iPlayer and networkable media streaming all for around £600 n £600 (approx), www.panasonic.co.uk

TV

Manhattan DSM-4Sn It doesn’t do DVB-S2 but this is still ideal for more involved installations whether you’re an installer or avid multi-satellite viewing punter.n £149, www.horizonhge.com

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iss 80cm mesh offset dishwith enough breadth to give you reception of the most popular european satellites without shrinking your wallet in the process, this mesh antenna comes supplied with a 40cm stand-off mount. it’s constructed from rust-resistant 0.6mm phosphated steel and with the addition of a 14in multi LNB holder can take four LNBs for multi-sat use.n £31.82 (trade price), www.alltrade.co.uk

Which dish?

Philex SLX sat findern A quick way to find the satellites you desire, this cheap-as-microchips Philex gadget has a backlit analogue meter and audible tonen £12, www.philex.com

SAT FINDER

Comag PVR 2/100CI HDn Twin-tuner HD satellite PVr with 400GB hard drive, media playback via uSB and excellent performance at an unbelievable pricen £180, www.rockdale.co.uk

PVR

Dreambox DM800 HD SE – Successor to the DM800 has many improvements plus external recording. £319, www.dreamboxshop.co.uk

Vu+ Duo – Twin-tuner PVR upgradeable receiver with smart card readers and networking too. £339, www.sat-shop.co.uk

AZ Box Premium HD+ – PVR upgradable with media playback, networking, web-browsing and more. £380, www.azbox.com

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Samsung PS50C6900n This inexpensive 3D 50in plasma has a Freeview HD tuner and uSB recording and earns its place in this techy section owing to networking/web functionality that includes DLNA streaming and appsn £1,300, www.samsung.co.uk

TV

Western Digital My Book Liven With a whopping 3TB of storage, this network hard drive is ideal for storing recordings and streaming median £199, www.wdc.com

NAS DRIVE

Icecrypt ST6000HD PVRn Add two DVB-S2 tuners, the biggest HDD offered, and you have a moddable penguin-powered PVr to be proud ofn £570 (with 2TB drive), www.turbosat.com

RECEIVER

Manhattan DSM-4Sn This dinky little meter will help you locate most popular satellites of interest in no time. n £149, www.horizonhge.com

METER

orbital 1mwhen you’re not busy modding your receiver and fancy watching some tv, this 1m antenna should get you most of what’s on the continent. Built from aluminium with an anthracite grey coating, this pole-mounted antenna is claimed to have a high gain of 40.98dB at 12.75GHz. For motorised users it can be mounted using the Cryptik H-H mount v bracket. n £52.50 (trade price), www.alltrade.co.uk

Which dish?

TVonics DTR-HD500 – A dependable dual-tuner Freeview HD recorder with super-stylish, talking-point looks. £250, www.tvonics.co.uk

Panasonic DMR-BW880 – This twin-tuner HDD/Blu-ray burner combi for Freesat HD is in a field of its own. £880, www.panasonic.co.uk

Technika Smartbox 8320HD – This Tesco-brand Freeview+ HD PVR has pay-TV and networked media streaming. £200, www.fetchtv.co.uk

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Ultimate UK free-to-air systemWon’t give Rupert or Richard your hard-earned? There’s still plenty of gratis homegrown TV to enjoy

triax tD88we’ve plumped for more than a minidish with this sturdy 88cm triax effort. Made from galvanised steel, it sports a pre-mounted feedarm and non-sleep mast bracket with trusty u-bolts. it’s easy to set up and shaped to aid reception of up to five satellites at once. n £50 (approx), www.triax.co.uk

Which dish?

Toshiba 55WL768n With Freeview HD and an HD-capable satellite tuner, this 55in LCD TV delivers excellent big-screen performancen £1,800, www.toshiba.co.uk

TV

Sony STR-DH810n 7.1 output is over-spec’d for TV but this superb-value amp sounds good pumping out 50W per channel and handles copious audio formatsn £299, www.sony.co.uk

AV RECEIVER

Q Acoustics 2000n This cute-looking 5.1 system throws up a detailed soundstage and can be expanded to 7.1 if required. n £650, www.qacoustics.co.uk

SPEAKERS

EchoStar HDS-600RSn The most advanced Freesat PVr has two tuners, a 500GB HDD and can stream TV to PCs and mobilesn £350, www.myechostar.com

PVR

Humax HDR-FOX T2n Still the best Freeview HD PVr, now available with 1TB HDD and TV Portal web-functions including BBC iPlayern £369 (1TB), www.humaxdigital.com

PVR

Devolo dLAN 200 AV Wireless N kitn £80, www.devolo.co.uk

NETWORKING

Virgin Media TV powered by TiVo – Challenging Sky+ is this triple-tuner cable PVR with learning features and apps. £300, www.virginmedia.com

Triax TD88 – This 88cm antenna is forged from galvanised steel and shaped for multi-satellite reception. £50 (approx), www.triax.co.uk

Technika Smartbox 8320HD – Pay-TV including Sky Player is a broadband-delivered extra on this Freeview+ HD PVR. £200, www.fetchtv.co.uk

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LG 50PX990n A formidable 3D-capable 50in plasma, networkable media streaming and apps including YouTuben £1,500, www.lge.co.uk

TV

Acoustic Energy Aegis Neo V2n Lovely wood stylings on a 5.1 speaker setup that includes a sub with 200W of room-shaking soundn £1,000, www.acousticenergy.co.uk

SPEAKERS

Marantz SR7005n If Darth Vader owned an amp... 7.1, 125W per channels, comprehensive audio format support and more connectors than you’ll ever needn £1,400, www.marantz.co.uk

AV RECEIVER

Amstrad Sky+HD 1TB DRX895n With the biggest range of HD channels, Sky is still the TV service to beat and this is still our favourite pay TV PVrn £250, www.sky.co.uk

PVR

Ultimate UK pay-TV entertainment systemOne provider still dominates for our money but the true pay-TV

connoisseur gets their kicks from both broadcast and online sourcesselfsat sqish0005Claimed to have reception capabilities of a 60cm dish, this distinctive 45cm antenna can be fitted with a quad LNB – making it ideal for sky installations. More stylish than a minidish, its flat front can be covered with a matt or gloss finish sticker in order to camouflage it in ‘sensitive’ areas with any image you like (e.g. brickwork). it has a 33.5dB gain, which should further enhance its reception chances. n £199, www.satshop.co.uk

Which dish?

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Acer Aspire Revo RL100 – Compact media PC with Blue-ray drive and Windows 7. Add your own TV tuner. £400, www.saveonlaptops.co.uk

Elgato EyeTV Netstream DTT – Also available in satellite version. Enables network streaming to PCs, Macs and mobile devices. £230, www.elgato.com

PCTV nanoStick T2 290e – Freeview HD tuner stick. Software enables recording and remote streaming. £100, www.pctvsystems.co.uk

Samsung HW-C450n A meaty sub makes all the difference on this well specified, high-performing and space-saving TV speaker substituten £250, www.samsung.co.uk

SOUNDBAR

Vivadi MM322 HD Mediamastern We tasked Vivadi to build us a special TV-minded media PC and it certainly delivered. Our custom-built box comes with with a 2TB hard disc, Blu-ray drive, networking and space for up to two Black Gold tuner cards. We’ve gone for the full fat dual-tuner card option with two Freeview SD/HD and two HD satellite tunersn £2,199, www.vivadi.co.uk

MEDIA PC

Ultimate Digital TV PC systemA media PC is the beating heart of our hi-tech satellite and Freeview-friendly system with sat broadband on the side

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Devolo dLAN200 AV Wireless N kit – HD-ready Powerline extender kit spreads your multimedia reach around the home. £80, www.devolo.co.uk

Tooway – New Ka-band offerings make this sat- internet service worth considering. £199+£99/month (3.6Mb/s), www.avonlinebroadband.co.uk

Apple iPad 2 – Current king of tablets, with plenty of gadgets and apps available for TV viewing and control. From 399, www.apple.com/uk/ipad

Sony KDL-40NX713n With its 2001-esque monolithic design’, this 40in ‘LeD-backlit LCD TV has Freeview HD, networking features and 3D compatibilityn £1,000, www.sony.co.uk

TV

ASTRA2Connectn Two-way sat broadband is more affordable and accessible than ever with speeds up to 4mb/sn £300 hardware plus £25/month (4mB max value package), www.satelliteinternet.co.uk

SAT INTERNET

Western Digital My Book World Editionn Available with 2TB in a back-up friendly rAID configuration, this is an ideal remote storage solutionn £150 (approx), www.wdc.com

NAS DRIVE

orbital 1mConstructed using robust aluminium and protected by an anthracite grey coating, this 1m antenna should get PC users most satellite channels they desire from the uk and can be pole mounted. it can be motorised using a Cryptik H-H mount, or you can fit a 3-9 degree LNB holder for multi-sat reception. astra2Connect hardware (below) requires its own fixed antenna.n £52.50 (trade price), www.alltrade.co.uk

Which dish?

Comag PVR 2/100CI HD – 400GB PVR with media playback, blind search and great picture and audio performance. £180, www.rockdale.co.uk

Global Invacom Optiscan – This hi-tech meter can cope with both electrical and optical installs. £953, www.globalinvacom.com

Manhattan Plaza UPM – Also with great searching including ‘blind’, plus multicam, card reader and PVR via USB. £85, www.manhattan-receivers.com

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Ultimate feedhunter systemGoing hunting? You can cut through the jungle of TV shows and have something to take away with this feed-friendly setup

Primesat elite to maximise our signal-seeking potential we’ve plumped for another satellite superstore exclusive in the shape of this 1m Primesat high gain prime focus dish. Held together with stainless steel bolts, it’s reflector is made from spun aluminium and its driven using alsat’s supreme LeD Dark Motor, which will slot onto poles of 50mm to 76mm. an invacom C120 flange LNB should be a more than capable signal collector.n £400, www.satellitesuperstore.com

Which dish?

LG-47W55Tn When you’re not feed-hunting this mid-range 47in LeD-backlit LCD TV is 3D-ready and has Smart TV apps including YouTube and networked media streaming to entertain youn £1,089, www.lge.co.uk

TV

Icecrypt ST6000HD PVRn This twin-tuner Linux-based PVr comes with up to 2TB of storage and earns a star place here, thanks to excellent search options including an effective blind search scann £570 (with 2TB drive), www.turbosat.com

PVR

AverMedia Dark Crystal HDn If you want to save what you find this external box can capture HD video from pretty much any source, which is ideal for screengrabbingn £170, www.avermedia.com

CAPTURE BOX

Toshiba 55WL768 – With Freeview HD and HD-ready sat tuners, Tosh’s 55in Edge LED backlit TV does 3D too. £1,800, www.toshiba.co.uk

Triax TD88 – This 88cm antenna can gather signals from up to five satellites at a time with the right LNB setup. £50 (approx), www.triax.co.uk

Samsung 55UED8000 – Gorgeous 3D-ready 55in LED TV with Freeview HD, Freesat HD, apps, recording and more. £2,600, www.samsung.co.uk

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Panasonic TX-P42GT30n Freeview and Freesat HD tuners, recording via uSB and connected TV apps including iPlayer and YouTube and networked streaming make this 42in plasma a bargainn £1,200, www.panasonic.co.uk

TV

Ultimate IDTV systemWe’ve got Freeview and Freesat covered with this fully integrated

system augmented by plenty of networking extras

Panasonic DMR-BS880n OK, it’s another Panny product but they’re built to complement each other and this Freesat+ HD PVr/Blu-ray combi remains a luxury worth your indulgencen £800, www.panasonic.co.uk

PVR

Hirschmann Hit Fesat 75cmthe Panny kit has some provision for finding non-Freesat channels so we’ve paired it with a 75cm offset parabolic antenna whose components can be folded if need be. it’s claimed to have a high gain for weeding out signals from weak transponders.n £61.47 (trade price), www.alltrade.co.uk

Which dish?

Micro MI50 HD – HD reception, compatibility with EasyFind LNBs and PVR via USB on a great ‘traveller’. £158, www.roadpro.co.uk

Selfsat Sqish0005 – If you can find somewhere to mount it you can camouflage this antenna, which will take a quad LNB. £199, www.satshop.co.uk

Comag SL30 HDMI USB – Also sold as part of a dish kit. Has an HDMI output and PVR via USB recording. £50, www.rockdale.co.uk

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Ultimate travel sat systemWe’re going on a summer holiday but we’re not leaving our receiver at home, oh no

omnisat vuQubewe’ve singled out something more advanced than the antenna that comes with the ross system.inside the distinctive weather-resistant casing sits a remotely controllable motorised antenna that’s claimed to have the reception capabilities of a 54cm offset dish. the wireless remote has its own LCD screen, which makes it even easier to operate inside your caravan (and out of the rain, perhaps). Pricey, yes, but hard to resist, surely, for frequent caravanners.n £669, www.maxview.co.uk

Which dish?

AVTex L185TRn 18.5in of LeD backlit LCD screen and DTT recording and timeshifting via uSB make this 12V set a touch of class for any caravan or motor homen £330 approx, www.avtex.co.uk

TV

Ross 22300 HD-Rn You’ll need a power inverter for caravan use, but this all-in-one system offers a 65cm dish, HD reception, recording via uSB and extensive media playbackn £80, www.ross.co.uk

PVR

Manhattan DSM-4Sn This handy, easy-to-use sat signal finder will meet the needs of most users when setting up a dishn £149, www.horizonhge.com

METER