Digital TV Logos- Part II

The logos and symbols found on the advertisements and packaging of satellite and terrestrial TV equipment, and even on the equipment itself, can tell you a great deal about what the gear can and cannot do. So we continue our alphabetic look at the cryptic world of logos

DVB/DVB-S/DVB-T/DVB-S2/DVB-T2

The DVB logos on digital equipment show that it follows one of the suite of standards set by the Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) project – as all digital TV equipment in the UK must do.

There are more than 35 DVB standards for diff erent means of transmission and distribution, covering video and audio format, compression and modulation. The four most often seen on DTT and satellite equipment are DVB-S for satellite broadcasts in SD and some HD (e.g. BBC and ITV HD), DVB-S2 for (most) HD satellite broadcasts (including Sky HD), DVB-T for digital terrestrial broadcasts such as Freeview, and DVB-T2 for high-definition DTT such as Freeview HD. DVB compliance is only the start of successful reception and so just because a receiver sports a DVB-S2 logo, you cannot assume it can be used for Sky HD.

HD TV/HD TV 1080p

Satellite and DTT receivers and integrated TVs capable of receiving high-defi nition broadcasts may be labelled with the HD TV logo (or the HD TV 1080p logo for those that can receive 1080p, or ‘full HD’, signals) but only some receivers actually are. Freeview, Freesat and Sky HD services broadcast in the 720p and 1080i formats and so you will not see an HD TV 1080p logo on these set top boxes (only on Blu-ray players, and so on).

HD Ready/HD Ready 1080p

TVs (and projectors) that can display the HD TV signals should be marked with the HD Ready logo while full HD TVs, with a screen resolution of 1920 x 1080, can use the HD Ready 1080p logo. You must use a TV with one of these logos for HD viewing from Sky, Freesat or Freeview. HD Ready 1080p TVs are not strictly necessary for these services but arguably produce better pictures from these signals than the lower resolution HD Ready sets.

Linux

The Linux logo is sported by satellite and cable receivers using Linux-based operating fi rmware which can be user-upgraded with enhanced versions, often produced by third parties, to add functionality, particularly for unoffi cial reception of pay-TV services. Linuxpowered receivers that aren’t user-upgradeable don’t usually carry the Linux logo.

SD

You will find the logo for Secure Digital (SD) memory cards on receivers that accept this plug-in storage for PVR recordings, and for photographs and MP3 music fi les to playback on the TV.

HDMI

The High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) interface is the best connection to link any digital receiver to a modern digital TV screen. One cable carries uncompressed video and multi-channel audio in an all-digital format. The HDMI standard has been upgraded since it was introduced, with support for increased video resolution, other sound formats and networking, and the versions are numbered 1.0-1.4 (the latest). The offi cial logo is the same for all versions, but some equipment shows the version number. Sky+ HD uses version 1.1, which means that Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound is not sent via HDMI. Freesat HD and Freeview HD boxes use HDMI 1.3 and don’t suffer from this problem.

Multipicture Display/Mosaic

The Mosaic logo on a receiver’s front panel shows that it can display a screen of ‘thumbnail’ images of a series of channels to aid selection of the one you want.socket on Sky+HD boxes has only just been put to use.

SCR/Unicable

The single-cable router system allows several satellite receivers to be run from one (special) LNB and a single cable from the dish. Both the relatively few receivers that are compatible with the system, and the SCR LNBs, display the SCR logo or the proprietary Unicable equivalent.

MPEG-2/MPEG-4/DIVX

A receiver with the MPEG-4 logo can decode the MPEG-4 compression used for HD broadcasts. You may also see the MPEG-2 label (SD transmissions) on some receivers and even the DivX logo if the receiver can decode DivX fi les from hard disc or memory sticks.

PVR/PVR Ready

While there is no ‘official’ logo for personal video recorders (PVRs) that can ‘pause’ a live programme and record broadcasts to a hard disc drive for later playback, many independent receivers brandish a generic PVR logo. Those that have the operating software for PVR functions but require storage memory to be added externally (a plug-in memory card or stick, or a portable hard drive) are termed PVR Ready.

Wi-Fi

The Wi-Fi logo shows that the equipment can connect to a local area network or broadband modem with a wireless connection. Most digital receivers or recorders use only a wired broadband connection but TV equipment such as media players more commonly connect wirelessly. A wireless connection may be convenient, but a cabled connection (via an RJ-45 Ethernet socket) is often better as it reliably feeds the high data speeds required for multiple or HD live video transmission.

Time Shift

This unofficial logo (or another variant) is used by some receiver makers to show that a PVR can be used to record a programme to watch later, at diff erent times, repeatedly, and skipping through unwanted section. However, this probably applies to every PVR available so it doesn’t materially help, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that you can, say, start to watch a recording before recording has finished – a feature not found on all PVRs.

Sky

Sky

The Sky logo on a satellite receiver shows that it contains the Videoguard CAM required to view encrypted channels included in the Sky Digital network, which is not available in any other receiver. Such an official Sky receiver will also receive and display the Sky EPG and Sky’s interactive services, and automatically update its channel list of Sky channels. Receivers with Sky logos all use the same family of remote control handsets and onscreen menus.

Sky+

The first satellite PVR receiver to be sold in the UK was Sky’s Sky+ box and all subsequent PVRs from Sky have the same name and logo to signify that they operate in the same way, the only functional difference being the storage capacity for recordings. The Sky+ logo also shows that the receiver is a Sky receiver and has all the features and facilities of a non-recording Sky box.

Sky+HD

The only receivers that will receive Sky’s HD channels are HD versions of the Sky+ box, and so they sport a Sky+HD logo. Functionally, a Sky+HD receiver is otherwise identical to a standard-definition Sky+ machine.

MP3

PVR receivers with plug-in storage (memory cards, sticks, etc) that can play MP3 music files may display an MP3 logo.

USB/USB 2.0

Satellite and terrestrial receivers may carry the USB logo if they have one or more computer Universal Serial Bus (USB) connectors for connecting storage devices or other equipment. A few receivers use USB only to download upgraded operating software from either a computer, another receiver or a storage device (memory stick or portable hard drive) but most additionally allow storage devices to connect via USB to provide PVR storage (as well as or instead of an internal hard drive). In some cases this also allows for easy transfer of video recording files between the receiver and a PC. The USB 2.0 standard provides for faster transfer of data through the connection (for playback of HD recordings) than the original USB standard but this requires USB 2.0-compliant devices to be connected.

Geoff Bains