The Captiveworks CW-3000HD FTA Receiver

With the new High Definitation craze firmly tightening is grip of the FTA marketplace since the launch of the Coolsat 8000HD another HD unit enters the ring while more Free To Air manufacturers gear up for what will definately a new battle for HD supremacy. The Captiveworks CW-3000HD is the newest heavyweight ready to throw some punches at the competition with its comparable features and functions. Right out of the box (and it's a heavy box) this receiver shows its beefy status. Make sure you have ample room on your wall unit for this bad boy as the size is not only visually impressive but unique as well.

Sporting standard MPEG-2 2 Digital and DVB-S digital compliance, easy setup guide, user friendly on screen display (OSD) this receiver shines with the new and impressive on screen graphic capability. With the ability to store up to 1000 satellites, 6000 channels and 5000 transponders DSS testers will be pleased with the chock a block features in the new Captiveworks HD system.

Powered by Linux Opensource Kernal 2.6 in an X windows environment it supports Java, Firefox browsers and flash plugins. Having a dedicated operating system with the optional keyboard plugin impressed us and our testers were happy with the full featured options and scalability with this new system. Other standard features that are more common to the everyday fta user are PIP small window with zoom function, electronic program guide with 7 day data fast download and timer, full DiSEqC and USALS at the 22khz tone range, lightning fast channel switching, 256 GUI, multi funtion timer and favorite storage, ulti language support and much more.

Captiveworks CW-3000HD Specs: Hardware: Processor: Powerful AMD 3000+ 64Bit Processor Memory: 512MB DDRII RAM Expandable to 8GB Flash Drive: 1GB Fast System Flash Hard Drive: Not Included Video: MPEG2 and MPEG4 Acceleration Satellite Tuner: Input terminal: F type 75 Ohm Receiving frequency: 950~2150 MHz tuning range Input level: 65~25dBm Support MCPC and SCPC Symbol rate: 2~45 Msps FEC Codes: 1/2,2/3,3/4,5/6,7/8 and Auto QPSK ATSC Tuner: Latest LG 5th generation tuner for enhanced reception. Supports QAM 64 and QAM 256 Cable signals. One TV antenna 75 ohm reception port. One S Video input port. One stereo connection jack to sound card for analog TV. Video Output: VGA/HDMI or DVI/Component/SVideo Audio Ouput: Analog and SPDIF Dolby Digital Audio output USB Ports: 4 USB v2.0 ports on back panel and 2 USB v2.0 ports on front panel. Media Reader: All In One Media Reader. Supports most popular flash cards. Ethernet Port: RJ45 10/100/1000 Mbits compatible. DVDRW: Read/Write DVDs and CDs. Software : Open Source and available for download online Linux Operating System Version 2.6 Kernel Powerful X Windows Environment Java 1.42 Graphical User Interface Software Upgradeable Via Internet and/or USB Storage Device Firefox browser with support for popular plugins including Flash. Multimedia Software: DVB'S Free To Air Using Open Source Video Disk Recorder (VDR) ATSC Reception Using Open Source Video Disk Recorder (VDR) EPG (Electronic Program Guide) Support * Stored on Hard Drive Remotely Schedule Recordings via Web Based Interface Automatic Channel Scanning Comprehensive DVR Functionality Pause Live TV With Full Fast Forward and Rewind Capability Timer Recording Through Program Guide Automatic Timer Recording For Series and Daily/Weekly Programs Grid And List Style Electronic Program Guides Stored on Hard Drive Updates Download via the Internet Internet TV (IP TV) Streaming Video Player (*) Peer To Peer TV (P2P TV) Streaming Video Player (*) Customizable User Interface via Themes Video Player For popular video formats. Music Player For popular audio formats including MP3 and WMA. DVD Player/Writer CD Player/Writer *Requires Optional Wireless Keyboard Coupled with digital audio outputs, HDMI, DVI/Component as well as the standard outputs we were impressed with the picture quality on HD broadcast stations. Hues and contrast were very close to that of the Coolsat and the factory brightness was very close to perfect. We experimented with its format sizes 4:3 and 16:9 and found them to be spot on. Audio is also impressive running though our testers 5.1 dolby DTS system and delivered theater quality sound. The universal remote performs well with nice spacing between the buttons and frequently used funtions grouped where they should be for easy access. Having an internet ready unit is one of the highlights as well. Updating this unit will be a breeze in the future and being able to have integrated web surfing is with a Firefox browser is just the coolest. Breaking the ground in the HD world for Captiveworks seems to be a big priority for this FTA company and this unit is one that will make them proud. While not for the DSS newbie we definately recommend this system for the seasoned fta pro or those who are a little more tech savy than the mainstream unit. All in all a great unit whos features we have only touched on a will definately deserve a revisit in the future once our testers report back with more updated news and highlights of this promising new system.

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