Technomate 800 HD or not ?

[alunfennell]

Hello Guys.

I thought I would give a brief summary of the upcoming Technomate 800 HD due for release soon, as many of you know the TM 800 HD is been launched to counteract sales of the Dreambox 800 HD & IP HD rceivers such as Spiderbox and the countless others on the market.

Here we go...

The Technomate TM800 HD is a reboxed-rebranded receiver from a company called itgate and are made in China, Itgate have produced a few IP receivers over the past year or two.

Most notable this ugly thing

Technomate have payed itgate for the technology with a different Housing & Technomate branding.

The main differance between a Dreambox 800 and this TM800 HD is the processor, while most Satellite & cable providers use distrabution hardware containing Broadcom BGA chipsets (Arrsi Communications for example), Dream-multimedia thought it would be a good idea to use these processor in there products for decoding and emulation and future proofing there receivers, this is the main reason why Newer Dreambox are expencive.

The Technomate 800 HD / itgate use a Philips PNX 8335 320 MHZ BGA Chip / Processor, The PNX 8335 Chip / mipsel processor, is supposed to use the same set of instructions as does the Dreambox 7025/800 and 8000 this is been highly debated, simply because the Broadcom BGA / Processor costs around third of the total cost of a real dreambox (well over 120-130 pounds a chip), the PNX 8335 Chip differs in price considerably @ a mear 50+ 70 pounds a chip even though it boasts some simular features as of the Broadcom chip.

NXP Chip data & information

http://www.hd4u-itea.org/docs/workshop%201/Unify%20the%20current%20and%20future%20video%20formats%20for%20HDTV_Dominique%20Deffosez.pdf

Tests on the NXP8335 Chip were carried out by Andrew Vagg from NXP Semiconductors in Southampton showed CPU clock is 320 MHz and is not a overclocked processor as been reported on other websites sites.

Test results:
DeepChip Homepage


Now for the Bad News:

The problem is with the support !

Itgate receivers over the last year have only had two official software Images, unlike the Dreambox range who have dedicated Teams releasing Images or updated release nearly every week.

Personaly I see Technomate been given one Branded Image at release and thats it, It not known if the original Itgate images will work, so forget about mulitpial OSD's and Multibooting Images etc, it looks like we will get one and thats it.

Then there is the CCcam support on the Itgate some Newer Versions are very troublesome and newcamd protocol is required if you are a card holder of certain providers.

Remember Technomate / Itgate do not support all officiall & none official cards as these receivers do not have Dreamcrypt card readers as come with the Dreambox, Technomate / Itgate have only got multicard readers, there is a big Differance

Hopefully Software will get all Cards and Cam configuration similar to that of the Dreambox but you could be waiting especially if you are using cards that need other special Cams to operate.

I hope some of this is of interest to a few of you Guys, I would not be to fast to run out a buy this receiver especially if you are coming from a Dreambox, You are likly to suffer with Support especailly Images remember its not a TRUE Technomate its a Itgate Receiver.

I hope its as good if not better than a Dreambox 800 but it could also end up worse than buying Cheap clone Receiver without Images added Software such as interactive Webinferface, Internet browser and other Applications time will tell.

Itgate Info:

- Full compliant of MPEG4 / H.264, DVB-S2
- Standard Open Linux API(Enigma2)
- SD/ HD contents (MPEG2 & support MPEG4 AVC/H.264,DivX,WMV
- High Definition Video output : HDMI (ver.1.1), Y/Pb,Pr
- 1 Smart Card Slot
- 2 USB (MP3, JPEG Viewer, SW Upgrade, PVR)
- USB 2.0 for Mass Storage Device (External PVR, Time shift)
- e-SATA for Mass Storage Device (OPTION)
- 10/100M Full Duplex Ethernet Interface
- Event Timer by EPG
- OSD Teletext & Subtitle Supported
- Audio Decoding : ISO/IEC13813-3 (MPEG2 audio/MUSICAM) Dolby AC-3 WMA
- Dolby Digital Decoder (5.1 sound transmission via AC3 digital output)
- Video output resolution : 720X576p,1280X1080i
- S/PDIF Interface; Optical Type
- User selectable output resolution
- Firmware/ Software Upgrade: Through (RS-232C, Ethernet & Internet, USB Memory Stick)
- Unlimited TV/ Radio Channel Storage
- Full Automatic Service Scan
- Programmable Event Timer
- Variable Aspect Ratio (4:3, 16:9, Letter Box)
- Multi OSD Language
- User Friendly EPG (Electronic Program Guide)
- Big Size Flash Memory : 1 GByte No mention if the TM800 will have this size of memory.

Regards:
Alun

[Manic01]

I would wait to someone actually has one in their hands working before we start predicting support etc.
Everything about support is hearsay at the moment, as no one can possibly know.
The TM600 has had good support and that is also ITgate.
As with all new products, they cab be iffy at the very beginning look at the DM500HD!

[freck]

It will be interesting to see if the Tm800HD will work with the itgate UKUR V8 and V9 images,these cover the C,T,and S tuner models with no probs and CCcam works flawlessly.
Maybe 1 image is needed for now and not too much playing around with this technomate is needed.
I've got an Itgate for a few years now and has seen me tru cable then to terrestrial and now sat,all done on the same receiver with the same image on and its rock solid,plug and play is the itgates strength and looks like the TM800HD will go along the same road.
Just speculating here but I think the technomate will be a nicely made and solid receiver that will do its thing and supply the end user with HD TV and recording without hassle and be as reliable a the itgate but a bit better looking.Support will come as theTM800HD get a little more press and thats a fault with technomate.....very little info coming from them and no build up from suppliers to get this receiver out there and have people waiting for it like its xmas morning again.
I'd like to know what image is on it coming from the factory tho and see how its tuner goes on the HD channels.Cooling would be another aspect of this that i'd like to know more about....no mention of cooling fans?
I was a click away from buying one last night but something held me back....dunno its hard to tell whether this will be as good as it sounds,but for the price i'll probably get one when i know more about its workings
Freck

[cactikid]

support is slow which is not good for any box,as like freck i was looking for another box but decided to try a du=vuo+hd instead.if any box works well with one image people will be happy.

[alunfennell]

vuo+ suffers from a lack Images as well.

Most converted images for other receivers are ofton very buggy, its the independent Teams like Nabilosat, PLI etc, that drive receiver development, unfortunatly all receivers other than Dreambox & clones suffer from support.

Untill Development teams support newer receivers with Images, Software & applications not happen to beat Dreambox for choice

vuo+ receivers opperate very well in general but image support is sluggish, its just thecase with all none Dreambox IP receivers.

[Sat-Shop]

Sorry but you're wrong about the VU+ support, the groups that have taken them on board are not simply porting images over, they have completely re-wrote firmware from start to finish, they are able to do this by working with the manufacturer and being supplied with source code. PLi and Dream Elite (and VTi) are firmwares designed from start to finish with the VU+ in mind.

They are not 'buggy', they are working great, please give one a try.... Sure there can be improvments like any firmware, but to say that image support is sluggish is just not true :S

I think this is maybe where the Technomate may succeed or fail, if they are willing to pass source code to the usual image groups then you can expect some great results, if like their other receivers they don't do this then I guess we will be stuck with the UR image and whatever other images someone can port over.... Only time will tell

[bobi]

Hello Guys.

I thought I would give a brief summary of the upcoming Technomate 800 HD due for release soon, as many of you know the TM 800 HD is been launched to counteract sales of the Dreambox 800 HD & IP HD rceivers such as Spiderbox and the countless others on the market.

Here we go...

The Technomate TM800 HD is a reboxed-rebranded receiver from a company called itgate and are made in China, Itgate have produced a few IP receivers over the past year or two.

Most notable this ugly thing

Technomate have payed itgate for the technology with a different Housing & Technomate branding.

The main differance between a Dreambox 800 and this TM800 HD is the processor, while most Satellite & cable providers use distrabution hardware containing Broadcom BGA chipsets (Arrsi Communications for example), Dream-multimedia thought it would be a good idea to use these processor in there products for decoding and emulation and future proofing there receivers, this is the main reason why Newer Dreambox are expencive.

The Technomate 800 HD / itgate use a Philips PNX 8335 320 MHZ BGA Chip / Processor, The PNX 8335 Chip / mipsel processor, is supposed to use the same set of instructions as does the Dreambox 7025/800 and 8000 this is been highly debated, simply because the Broadcom BGA / Processor costs around third of the total cost of a real dreambox (well over 120-130 pounds a chip), the PNX 8335 Chip differs in price considerably @ a mear 50+ 70 pounds a chip even though it boasts some simular features as of the Broadcom chip.

NXP Chip data & information

http://www.hd4u-itea.org/docs/workshop%201/Unify%20the%20current%20and%20future%20video%20formats%20for%20HDTV_Dominique%20Deffosez.pdf

Tests on the NXP8335 Chip were carried out by Andrew Vagg from NXP Semiconductors in Southampton showed CPU clock is 320 MHz and is not a overclocked processor as been reported on other websites sites.

Test results:
DeepChip Homepage


Now for the Bad News:

The problem is with the support !

Itgate receivers over the last year have only had two official software Images, unlike the Dreambox range who have dedicated Teams releasing Images or updated release nearly every week.

Personaly I see Technomate been given one Branded Image at release and thats it, It not known if the original Itgate images will work, so forget about mulitpial OSD's and Multibooting Images etc, it looks like we will get one and thats it.

Then there is the CCcam support on the Itgate some Newer Versions are very troublesome and newcamd protocol is required if you are a card holder of certain providers.

Remember Technomate / Itgate do not support all officiall & none official cards as these receivers do not have Dreamcrypt card readers as come with the Dreambox, Technomate / Itgate have only got multicard readers, there is a big Differance

Hopefully Software will get all Cards and Cam configuration similar to that of the Dreambox but you could be waiting especially if you are using cards that need other special Cams to operate.

I hope some of this is of interest to a few of you Guys, I would not be to fast to run out a buy this receiver especially if you are coming from a Dreambox, You are likly to suffer with Support especailly Images remember its not a TRUE Technomate its a Itgate Receiver.

I hope its as good if not better than a Dreambox 800 but it could also end up worse than buying Cheap clone Receiver without Images added Software such as interactive Webinferface, Internet browser and other Applications time will tell.

Itgate Info:

- Full compliant of MPEG4 / H.264, DVB-S2
- Standard Open Linux API(Enigma2)
- SD/ HD contents (MPEG2 & support MPEG4 AVC/H.264,DivX,WMV
- High Definition Video output : HDMI (ver.1.1), Y/Pb,Pr
- 1 Smart Card Slot
- 2 USB (MP3, JPEG Viewer, SW Upgrade, PVR)
- USB 2.0 for Mass Storage Device (External PVR, Time shift)
- e-SATA for Mass Storage Device (OPTION)
- 10/100M Full Duplex Ethernet Interface
- Event Timer by EPG
- OSD Teletext & Subtitle Supported
- Audio Decoding : ISO/IEC13813-3 (MPEG2 audio/MUSICAM) Dolby AC-3 WMA
- Dolby Digital Decoder (5.1 sound transmission via AC3 digital output)
- Video output resolution : 720X576p,1280X1080i
- S/PDIF Interface; Optical Type
- User selectable output resolution
- Firmware/ Software Upgrade: Through (RS-232C, Ethernet & Internet, USB Memory Stick)
- Unlimited TV/ Radio Channel Storage
- Full Automatic Service Scan
- Programmable Event Timer
- Variable Aspect Ratio (4:3, 16:9, Letter Box)
- Multi OSD Language
- User Friendly EPG (Electronic Program Guide)
- Big Size Flash Memory : 1 GByte No mention if the TM800 will have this size of memory.

Regards:
Alun

One think here to Correct...

1.The chipset NXP now is bought from Conexant....Mean will be more Worse then before...
2. CPU NXP do never cost like 70 Pound...I am sory that is not true...

I have same mather board same specification from China offer me with same chipset all STB linux OS for only 68 dollars.I do not like nominate the Company in china...

That mean the chipset it self do not cost then more then 25 dollars...
mean 10 times less the Broad com is very dificult to have ...

A part of that this stb is Just a SHOW to hit the Makrket after SHOW finished will nothink another stb less future then others.


This kind of stb can never be competitor of DM broadcom chip

VU + Braodcom Chip and

even STI chip Spiderbox..


This is the reality....

[bobi]

I would wait to someone actually has one in their hands working before we start predicting support etc.
Everything about support is hearsay at the moment, as no one can possibly know.
The TM600 has had good support and that is also ITgate.
As with all new products, they cab be iffy at the very beginning look at the DM500HD!

M8 you are totally right ,...But TM company and Some of their Dogs did not wait utill this product hit market...

They have done so much fake advertise...

[bobi]

vuo+ suffers from a lack Images as well.

Most converted images for other receivers are ofton very buggy, its the independent Teams like Nabilosat, PLI etc, that drive receiver development, unfortunatly all receivers other than Dreambox & clones suffer from support.

Untill Development teams support newer receivers with Images, Software & applications not happen to beat Dreambox for choice

vuo+ receivers opperate very well in general but image support is sluggish, its just thecase with all none Dreambox IP receivers.

Vu+ will never sofer m8...do not forget they have same CPU Broadcom...and a lot of Teams are in back to them...

The Goal is done no way to come back...

TM is to late with all their people advertise....they have not much space in Linux business..because they never had experince in that....

I am 12 years in this business and hobby before technomate born...and i be sure will be even after they diead
...

[freadthehead]

thank you for that i will w/ see

[.: JaCkPoT :.]

Technomate is a renowned name And i believe this box will prosper because of the popularity it will get.

You will find alot of the tm800s being sold In a packaged setup ie motor, dish, lnb, stb.
With the craze of moving onto linux based satellite as cable tv slowly comes to an end i think these packages will sell Very well which will mean support should come from one source or another.

[bobi]

Technomate is a renowned name And i believe this box will prosper because of the popularity it will get.



You will find alot of the tm800s being sold In a packaged setup ie motor, dish, lnb, stb.
With the craze of moving onto linux based satellite as cable tv slowly comes to an end i think these packages will sell Very well which will mean support should come from one source or another.

If Technomate has done Acounts like you ..ha ha that's funy and wrong ...



Fist technomate is not Renowed name...But Copy of name and logo of KOREAN Company has collaps 5 years agou TECHMATE KR.

Company Name:Techmate Corporation Country/Territory:Korea Business Type:Manufacturer
Registration Date:2002/11/20 (Year/Month/Date) Buyer / Seller in EC21:Seller Keywordsatellite receiver, telecommunication, MHP, Common Interface, FTA, Positioner, STB, SVR

Techmate Corporation - satellite receiver, telecommunication, MHP, Common Interface, FTA

Cable gone ...Cable come...with c/s as well..

same of the satellite market do not forget that...

if some coustemers come to satellite market that mean they do not know what is Linux !??

they know only to press buttons and whatch TV...geting new dishis and new lnb new motors and new Linux STB and find servers will cost them 3 times more then buy 12 months subscription to Virgin media it self,...

if we supouse are again some holes...for TM they even they most have been close...from many other stbs ...Spiderbox ,dreambox orginals 500+ sd 800hd -500 hd -8000hd ,Dreambox Clones 500sd -600sd 7020sd -800 hd Vu + Duo ,Vu+ Solo even and many others arounds... Why is all Technomate !?

and about Big name of tehcnomate ,i have bad impresiona -Who gave them Big Name he will get them back..do not wory ...

[ITS A SCAM !]

I think i speak for a lot of people out there....Everyone wants a cheap STB, and @ ?229 for an origianl STB that is based here in the UK, that means a lot to many folk on here. When i can afford one i shall be getting one... Even ?229 is a lot of money to me. I have 2 of the cheapest linux based STB's available, a clone Dm500s and a Tm600, and the Tm600 is a far superior machine. If i get the support for a Tm800hd just as good as my Tm600 i shall be very pleased. I agree with jackpot and there will be masses of people going into c/s very soon, and a package linux based HD system is going to be a very good seller for any business. lets hope the support is going to be there for the new Tm800HD

[.: JaCkPoT :.]

@Bobi,Yes some people only know How to turn a tv on And press some buttons But Thats What learning is about. 12 months ago If you gave me a linux API receiver And told me to configure it i would have No clue What to do. Thats What forums are for, to learn. One day you had to learn correct?

[alunfennell]

Price upgraded to 250 Pounds thats just priced this receiver a little too much, especially with a Shittly UR Image (likely to be the only one for a while), No Internet browser (Like there is on the Dreambox800) No major applications, No Multi Boot Via SD Card, No 1Gb of Memory that comes with the Itgate Model same as the TM800, Technomate are running away with Themselves a little if they think this is worth 250+ P&P or 320 Euro as been advertised here in Germany.

ITS A SCAM !
"origianl STB that is based here in the UK" Not realy because its an Itgate receiver made in Korea or China, Technomate have bought the rights to use it with Technomate branding, None of the TM500-TM600 are even pictured nor mentioned on the Official Technomate website so they do not realy support there own receiver.

Itgate who make the 500 & 600 Receiver for Technomate only supported it with two official images By UR Team and very little in the way of applications over the past year.

You have to go back to the TM900 series for Technomate who payed for a EDG Nemesis image.

So It looks like Technoimate are investing very little in the way of support for the current Linux receivers because they are not made by themselves, and the software and images are coming via Itgate.

Itgate make a good receiver, Technoamate picked a good receiver to use with there branding, but some serious Investment by both companys into hiring teams to build images and applactions for there products would beat Dreambox hands down on Value and Quality, untill then it will be a run of the mill receiver.

Technomate need to support and advertise these Linux receivers on there official website if they do not indorse there own rebranded Itgate receiver how are we to take them seriously?