Draco mini review

[JerryHatTrick]

Hey, Tones303,
Silence1 is away overseas for a few weeks.
I'll make sure he lets you know when he gets back and sorts it out.

I am going the easy route and have ordered one of the new Draco's.
Should have it in a week they say.

[Tones303]

Thanks Jerry,
Let me know how you go with the Draco.
I also am interested in Silences 4000 card. I am building a HTPC and am thinking of using the 4000 card with Ubuntu.
Are you on a HTPC?

Cheers

Tony

[JerryHatTrick]

Tony,
Sorry I have taken a bit long to reply.
I have been playing with my new Draco box.

I am stoked with it.

I has one wee start up problem.
I mailed Lars from the Freeview Shop, got a reply within 5 mins and was underway.
The unit seems to prefer to do its initial boot up with no outputs plugged in.
Once it is going and has locked onto the signal it is all smooth sailing and you can do what you like.

I am using HDMI to the tv and optical to the amp.
The tv settings needed a fair bit of tweaking to get the best picture.
Until I got that right, I wondered why I had bothered shifting from the satellite. Now it is a different story.

Here is my mini review for you.

The Draco is easy to set up, does a simple and fast auto scan, and is intuitive to use.
There is new software in this model,making it the DT5500 not the 3900.

Audio is perfect.
It is making my modest little system sound better than it should.
5.1 surround is exactly as I hoped for.
Radio, concert program, is unbelievably beautiful. It is a step up from the satellite reception and makes FM seem like something from the stone-age.

Picture depends completely on what is put in at the broadcast end.
With good input, the colours are more subtle than I imagined possible.
And there are fine details that leave me staring in amazement.
I have been able to take the contrast down to deepen the blacks while keeping all the detail.

Jackie Chan's "The Medallion" last night, was better than my dvd player can do.
CSI in 1080 had me looking so closely at the picture I nearly forgot to watch the story. I just didn't think so many fine details could be transmitted.
Wednesday's program about fat people was too detailed and nearly made me loose my dinner. I saw some weeping sores and just turned it off because it was too gross to look at. Seriously gross, and I probably could have watched it from the satellite.

I get some motion judder on some of the 1080i broadcasts, but I think that relates to my LCD tv rather than the Draco. It looks like there is just too much processing having to be done at some stage. Could even be at the broadcast end since some 1080 stuff is ok.

So-
Great unit.
I'm happy I got it. Very happy.

I didn't want the total upgrade and tech hassles involved in setting up a HTPC to do the same thing. I would have needed a new PC to handle it, and a set top box was waaaay cheaper.

The 720p broadcasts are probably the best to watch.

I talked to one of the guys at work who has got the 4000 working on his PC, and both of us think there is something weird about 1080 stuff.
Neither of us can describe the problem, but maybe it just looks too digital, and unnaturally clear and sharp.
Like someone with a cool party trick who keeps doing it over and over and yelling look at me.
Maybe it is just early days yet for the technology.

Only problem - no subtitles or teletext on TV3. My friend Silence is deaf and can't watch without the words. So that's a pain in the butt.
However the subtitles on TV1 and 2 are better than before so thats good.

That's about it.
Jerry

[felix]

Is it fast when switching channels? Is the software responsive?

[paulw]

Is it fast when switching channels? Is the software responsive?

I have the 3900. It's about the same speed at a Skybox but you can while waiting fotr the channel to appear go next > next and it does it streight away.
PQ is excellent. I run mine over component because my Sony V300 will not switch to HDMI directly with my Harmony remote though last weekend I plugged in the HDMI can did some copmparison and could not see any real difference so will stay with component..

The only odd thing I notice in the firt day or two and I have only seen it twice was the letters ErE appear on the LCD of the Draco and it has done a reboot..

All told a great box. Just hope it doesn't get a over the air update which disables HD over component..

Anyone know what is the diffrence between the 3900 and the 6300 now on this website??
http://www.freeviewshop.co.nz/terrestrial-receivers-c-1.html