HD-90CX review

WayteQ HD-90CX MinDig TV terrestrial digital receiver review

 

 

I’ve managed to get my hands on a brand new MinDig TV receiver with some help from the guys at WayteQ Europe.

 

Wayteq is a relatively new brand name on the set-top-box market, but the company or the brand itself is definitely not new. Wayteq has been around in Hungary for quite some time with its high quality, reliable and favourably priced car navigation systems and portable media players.

 

Wayteq HD-90CX terrestrial digital receiver has been granted the MinDig TV sticker i.e. it is officially capable of receiving terrestrial digital broadcast in Hungary. When I first saw the specs it instantly aroused my interest as so far I’ve only had good experiences with Wayteq products. So I was looking forward to trying one of these. The set-top-box comes complete with a built-in CONAX style card reader, thus being capable of receiving MinDig TV Extra channels as well. It also boasts a USB port which implies reassuring abilities.

 

When I was first holding the box in my hands I immediately spotted all the words being in Hungarian, but unfortunately the country of origin is China, like in so many cases. It looks attractive nonetheless and of course the MinDig TV sticker is not missing either. After unwrapping the box, beside the unit I found an operating manual in Hungarian, a card with service contacts, a remote control with batteries and a Scart cable. Because it’s an HD device, I would have been happier with an HDMI cable, but on second thought, knowing that these external boxes are usually bought with traditional TV’s in mind, I wouldn’t consider it a disadvantage. At least they added a cable of some sort as other manufacturers increasingly tend to save on cables.

 

 

The unit’s appearance is not ugly, but I wouldn’t call it exceptionally nice either. More ’like the rest’. The power switch is on the far left of the front panel the other controls are in the middle. All functions can be fully controlled from here as well in case the remote control is not at hand. The card reader and the USB port is located on the right behind a small flip-down cover. The location of the USB port is not very aesthetic though. In case there is media of any sort constantly connected to it, the sight is ruined a fair bit. I reckon there would have been room for it on the back panel. To visualize channel information we have a 4 digit, 7 segment LED display that shines in green. The unit displays Time in standby mode, but this needs to be permitted in the menu (TV-system àStandby mode: fake).

 

On the back panel we find the most basic connections with few extras. On the far left we find the aerial in- and output. Next to these an spdif digital audio output is found. I prefer optical connectors, but alas, that’s missing. Moving to the right we notice an RS-232 serial port that can be used for servicing functions like upgrading softwares. Right below this we come across the inevitable HDMI high definition TV output. The unit boasts two SCART sockets, one for in-, and one for output. This way even a DVD player can be connected to it. 10 points for the mains switch: it may come handy in case we want to cut the unit completely off the grid. The number of sockets is not very high, but all the essential ones are there: connecting the TV can not be a problem, but an exterior audio system is more of a challenge as it lacks even a simple stereo audio output.

 

 

The remote control has a pleasant grip and is easy to handle. The buttons are suitably located. In terms of material they are made of soft rubber, so they need not be pressed heavily. The unit works perfectly when echoed from the wall as well. All the necessary buttons can be found on it for an easy and quick operation. Recording can be started at the push of a button and we can also change picture format from it directly. This latter function can come handy when connecting to a TV of a different system than before.

 

 

When switching it on the first time we are welcomed by an infinitely simple installation menu. It is made up of only two screens, with the first one to set picture format, size and language and then moving on from here it instantly starts searching for channels. The search is complete in no time, and if the aerial is properly set, we can start watching TV right away.

 

The channel list is simple but practical. We have the option to sort the channels as we wish, but the channel number stays factory-set, it can not be changed. This is a very good way to fulfil MinDig TV sticker requirements and to maintain the freedom of organising channels at the same time. We can set favourite channels as well, though with little practical benefit for now. (Later, with over 30 channels this will have more significance). Channels in the list can be freely deleted and surprisingly renaming is also allowed.  I normally delete two of the same Euronews channels, to get rid of the unnecessary ones, but here I could even get the word TEST out of the name. But if one does not need the EXTRA channels, one can simply delete them or set a channel skip if there are plans on getting an EXTRA card later.

 

Picture quality is almost perfect. I didn’t come across huge inaccuracies during the testing period. In case of LCD TV’s the highest resolution is 1080i, which is plenty as HD TV programs are broadcasted in this resolution. The unit contains AFD support automatically adjusting aspect ratio on traditional CRT TV’s so that the picture is not stretched or flattened. For this, picture format needs to be set from AUTO to 4:3 letterbox (4:3LB).

 

Channel change speed is almost immediate if we change within a mux, but if we switch to a channel of another multiplex (frequency) it somehow takes longer, approximately 3-4 seconds.

 

EPG (Electronic Program Guide) works fast and well and Hungarian characters are displayed correctly as well. Timeline view is available, but we can also browse the program of a selected channel in advance. It is easy to set a timed recording in the Program Guide. The info button has three functions. Pushing it once we can see the current and the following program, pressing it again comes up a short summary of the program and pushing it the third time we can have a look at the technical information about the channel. I really like this 3 step approach, 10 points again.

 

 

The unit also comprises a PVR – video function. To make use of it we need to connect an external USB pendrive or harddrive.

I used a 320GB 2.5 inch Western Digital external HDD. It recognises FAT and NTFS partitions as well, so there’s no problem with file size limitations either. As I mentioned earlier recording can be pre-set but we can also start it at the push of a button. During recording I was sorry to see the unhideable REC sign on the screen. It would have been nicer to have a red LED or sign on the unit’s front panel indicating the process of a recording.  During recording we can switch to another channel as long as it’s on the same multiplex -the rest is not active. If the recording is performed on a coded channel, then switching to another coded one is not possible as the unit doesn’t allow it. We can browse and recall recorded programs in a separate menu, where we can also delete them if not needed any more. The unit is also suitable for watching TV in time shift mode, but this function is off by default. It needs to be switched on separately in the menu. Everything can be stopped, rewound or recorded all in one, this is what PVR is about.

 

A USB drive can of course be used for a lot more, eg. it is suitable for displaying pictures and playing music. Unfortunately it is unable to play divx or mkv videos. (Supported formats are: MP3/ JPEG/ BMP/ OGG / MPG) In addition to these any new softwares to be published for the device in the meantime will also be downloadable from the USB drive.

 

 

The CONAX card reader works well with the MinDig TV Extra card. Mine has not been tested in a unit for a long time, but it only took a few minutes to start up again. The device handles the traditional txt function as well, running it fairly fast, a breeze to use. Naturally it’s not missing the subtitle function either, on channels with the DVB sign it can be switched on. No need to mention AAC audio management as we are talking about a device with the sticker, so this should not be a problem. And it isn’t, it works well as expected. In the menu I found an option for switching on 5V power for the aerial, activated too by default so an active aerial can be connected to it without an external adapter. By the way aerial, I didn’t come across any blocking or pixelation during use which is impressive as I can count on the fingers of one hand the times terrestrial digital receivers didn’t falter once and I have a long list of tested items. So no complaint at all in the tuner department. Audio or picture delay was not present at all during the test. Picture and sound were synchronous throughout. The signal quality meter shows the exact values but signal strength is not in line with reality, so it is enough to rely on quality when setting it. There is a minor nuisance involved as for some reason the device tends to switch on every night. I couldn1t tell when exactly because after midnight I couldn’t be bothered checking the time. It could be looking for software updates at that time of the day as in theory it can upgrade from the air. If that is the case, it should really switch off by itself though. That’s what my Samsung does. It switches on a little at night without turning the screen on of course, then checks if there’s any broadcasted signal for it and if not it switches off by itself.

 

 

Summary: the Wayteq HD90 CX set-top-box tested well with me, it may actually be the first terrestrial digital receiver that I recommend for purchase with confidence. Not a multimedia champion, but it wasn’t developed for that purpose either. Its software has minor deficiencies and inaccuracies but not to an extent that would cause a problem. I didn’t experience freezing or unsteady operation during the test. It performs all the features within its parameters with ease. This is an almost perfect STB. A few more softwares and it will be a perfect one. Another great benefit is the editable channel list and the AFD support.

 

So those looking for a card-reading, USB stop-record terrestrial digital box will not be disappointed in Wayteq.  RRP was around HUF 20.000 at the time of writing. You’d have a hard time finding another card-reading MinDig TV receiver for that amount of money.

 

The WayteQ HD-90CX terrestrial digital receiver was provided by WayteQ Europe where we’d like to thank the guys for making this test possible!

 

Source: digiportal.hu