TEST REPORT HDTV Combo Receiver

Skyworth ALI-HD
04-05/2011
Skyworth ALI-HD
Easy to use combo receiver
in small size with excellent blind-scan

DVBS-2 & DVB-T Receiver

• This tiny receiver comes
TELE-satellite World www.TELE-satellite.com/...
from Skyworth, a well-known Download this report in other languages from the Internet:
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innovative Scart connector receiver Hebrew ‫ עברית‬ www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1105/heb/skyworth.pdf
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size of those receivers come to mind Portuguese Português www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1105/por/skyworth.pdf

Russian Русский www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1105/rus/skyworth.pdf
again when we look at their newest Turkish Türkçe www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1105/tur/skyworth.pdf
Available online starting from 1 April 2011
combo box, measuring just 260mm
wide and 210mm deep.

40 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 04-05/2011 — www.TELE-satellite.com

 Skyworth have managed controls next to an LED dis- are pre-programmed, oth- receive DVB-S2, the terres-
to shoe-horn both a DVB- play that shows the channel ers can be added. LNB trial part does not include
S2 and a DVB-T receiver, number, a flap hides away a frequencies are fixed, but DVB-T2 to match, so there’s
quite an achievement. And CI slot and USB port, where cover most configurations no HD through the TV an-
even though the receiver a storage device can be available including C-band. tenna even if it is available
is 40mm high there is a connected. It’s worth noting in your area. Scanning here
good range of connections from the outset though that Hitting the scan button for can be over the whole spec-
squeezed onto the back the unit’s power require- the first time gave me a real trum, or an individual chan-
panel. There are single ments are for a power sup- surprise – it is very fast! A nel can be specified.
HDMI, Scart, component ply of between 175 and 240 scan over the whole of AS-
and composite video con- volts, so it would be unsuit- TRA 2 takes only 3 minutes At my location there are
nectors, audio connections able for use in the Americas and 20 seconds to find 96 only two DVB-T transpond-
in both digital and analogue and other areas that use transponders. Adding the ers and one DVB-T2 – the
flavour, along with loop- 110V. network scan option en- two traditional ones were
throughs to compliment the sures that any frequencies found and scanned in an
satellite and terrestrial in- A good range of anten- for the provider that are equally fast 27 seconds,
puts. The UHF output is for na connections are avail- not already in the receiver’s the DVB-T2 didn’t register
loop-though purposes only; able despite the initial basic database are also scanned, at all. I was a little con-
there is no RF modulator feel of the receiver. Op- but this adds a time over- cerned as the frequency
onboard. LAN and RS232 tions range from a single head onto the scan. The bands to scan are set by
ports are also present for fixed dish through DiSEqC same satellite scanned with country, and the options of
upgrade purposes. switches and motors, with this enabled took over twice Czech, Brazil, France, Ger-
USALS included for a very as long – 6 minutes 50 sec- many, Poland, Italy, Rus-
The front panel has but- easy motorised setup. 41 onds. There is another way sia and Sweden might not
tons for the most basic satellites around the world though, blind scan comes have been good for me here
to our rescue and will flew in England. But all of them
across the whole satellite, seemed to work just fine,
picking up any new fre- and if needed a look on the
quencies and adding every- internet to find the frequen-
thing it finds. The same 96 cies to enter would be a last
transponders were found in resort to find your channels
a staggering 2 minutes 54 if your country’s frequency
seconds, even faster than band did not match these
the normal scan. That is defaults.
an average of just 1.8 sec-
onds per transponder. Blind The channel list is ac-
scan is clearly the way to go cessed as usual from the
here. central OK button. Scrolling
is quite fast, and there are
Our sample receiver also page up and down buttons
had a DVB-T tuner built in. to help out here too. The list
While the satellite tuner can can be filtered with the left

0.5

www.TELE-satellite.com — 04-05/2011 — TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine 41

1

2 and right buttons to select ble that can be renamed as

between each of the satel- required, and are accessed
lites in memory. Terrestrial quickly from the dedicat-
channels can be separated ed button on the remote.
too. Channels can be added to
more than one list mak-
A nice extra feature is the ing the system fully flexible
“find” function, accessed and usable. Channel editing
with the red button. Here too is quite comprehensive,
the list is filtered to match channels can be renamed,
the text that is entered, edited, locked or set to be
pressing B would filter it skipped in the list.
to just channels beginning
3 with that letter, and press- Picture quality is OK in
ing B again would find BBC higher quality connections
One, BBC Two etc. This – the picture through the
would be even more useful Scart was very fuzzy when
if it let us use the number first used, but switching
buttons as letters, as they into RGB mode made the
are printed on the remote picture much more accept-
in the same way as they are able. I found the pictures to
on a phone keypad. Sadly be a little bland, but a few
this isn’t available. tweaks of the colour, bright-
ness and contrast controls
Favourites lists are essen- in the menus made them
tial now we have thousands much nicer.
1. Channel list of channels to choose from,
3. Channel edit and it is good to see that the Being a HDTV receiver,
3. EPG receiver has 32 lists availa- Skyworth expects users to

42 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 04-05/2011 — www.TELE-satellite.com

4 9

5 10

6 11

7 4. Find function 8. Satellite scan

5. Media player 9. Satellite scan options
6. Motor settings 10. Terrestrial scan
7. Programme info 11. Timer

More on This Manufacturer

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SKYWORTH
OEM Receiver Manufacturer, China www.skyworth.com

www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1103/eng/skyworth.pdf
www.TELE-satellite.com/TELE-satellite-1003/eng/skyworth.pdf

44 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 04-05/2011 — www.TELE-satellite.com

connect their tv sets via the sic, but does its job. Where ture on screen. A bonus is side the media player – a
HDMI socket. This became available, EPG data goes as that they are stored in the basic but usable interface
obvious when we tried to far as a week into the fu- standard .ts format which that seems more integrated
listen to Dolby Digital with ture. Timers can be added allows them to be edited when you notice that it is
our TV connected to the an- to switch to a channel when and processed easily on a also used to access all me-
alogue output or the Scart it starts, or record to a USB computer. As seems to be dia that may be on your USB
socket: there was no sound device. It’s worth noting usual with recording in this device. Music, videos in AVI
to hear. Analogue outputs that unlike many receivers, manner, the external drive format and pictures can all
and Scart are only meant as it does not seem to check needs to be formatted in be found in separate pages
a last-resort or for configu- for a conflict when a timer FAT format and not NTFS of the same menu. The mu-
ration, but not for regular event is running – chan- so the file size limit of 4GB sic player, often just a quick
viewing. nels can be changed, menus needs to be remembered if add-on to a satellite receiv-
accessed and even scans the files are to be used later er, is better than many.
It’s good to see that the started without warning, in Windows.
remote has some useful resulting in lost recordings Files can be renamed and
function buttons for opera- or a crashed receiver that As well as recording from moved around, folders cre-
tions that are too often hid- needs to be powered off the EPG, a recording can of ated and favourites marked.
den inside menus – nota- and back on to come back course be started manu- Pictures, video and the re-
bly those to select of audio to life. ally, and timeshifting is also ceiver’s own recordings can
track, video format between available, accessed from have the same treatment.
widescreen or normal, and Recordings though are of pause button which feels al- It’s a let-down though that
video format to choose the good quality when played most hidden away at the top all of the AVI files I tried to
screen resolution. back on a computer – there end of the remote. play appeared with a black
are none of the issues that screen with only the sound
The ALI-HD’s EPG is ba- were found with the pic- Recordings appear in- playing.

46 TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine — 04-05/2011 — www.TELE-satellite.com

 Expert Opinion TECHNICAL
+ DATA
+ super fast blind-scan finds all channels Distributor Skyworth Overseas Ltd, Unit 1601-4 Westland Centre,
20 Westland Road, Quarry Bay, Hong Kong
+ includes all functions including high-defi-
tion Tel +852 23180500
+ a well thought-out media player is included Contact sales@skyworth.com
+ recordings are saved in .ts format Website www.skyworth.com.hk
Andy Middleton
TELE-satellite
- Test Center
UK
Model ALI-HD

- country selection for DVB-T seems out of Function Combo Receiver for and

date SCPC compatible Yes

- the Find button does not make use of the remote control‘s USALS Yes
keypad DiSEqC 1.0/1.1/1.2/1.3

Scart connectors 1

Skyworth have done well example of “simple is best”. Audio outputs 2 (left & right)

to include both satellite With the small issues of the Video outputs Composite, Component, HDMI

and terrestrial tuners and sometimes silent audio with Resolutions 480i, 480p, 576i, 576p, 720p, 1080i
recording capabilities into AC-3 soundtracks and the UHF output No (output is for loop-through only)
such a small package. De- apparent inability to cor- 0/12 volt output No
spite appearing to be quite rectly play AVI files aside, Digital audio output S/PDIF
a basic receiver, most func- the ALI-HD fulfils its role as EPG Yes
tions needed to receive TV, a receiver with a good set
C/Ku-band compatible Yes
including high-definition of basic functions that are
Power supply 175-240V AC
are here. The media player kept simple and all fitted in-
Common interface 1 PCMCIA
is well thought-out, a good side a small-sized box.
Card slots 0

Silicon Tuner Yes

Dimensions 260x210x40mm

ENERGY
DIAGRAM

Apparent Power

Active Power

Mode Apparent Active Factor

Active 20 W 10 W 0.5
StandBy 17 W 8 W 0.47

www.TELE-satellite.com — 04-05/2011 — TELE-satellite — Global Digital TV Magazine 47