Digital tuner
Digital TV broadcasting standards supported by the device.
Digital broadcasting has a number of advantages over analogue: it allows to transmit a high-resolution image and multi-channel sound, and also provides many additional features that are not available for analogue format. In addition, the signal level in the digital format almost does not affect the reception quality: the picture and sound are either in full quality, or (with a critical weakening of the signal) disappear altogether. The most relevant digital broadcasting standards today are terrestrial
DVB-T and
DVB-T2, cable
DVB-C and satellite
DVB-S and
DVB-S2, here are their main features:
— DVB-T (terrestrial). The European standard of terrestrial television broadcasting. It is relatively rare due to the spread of the more advanced DVB-T2 standard. So it makes sense to buy a DVB-T tuner specifically if you are sure that there is such a broadcast in your region. Also note that DVB-T uses 2 terrestrial standards — MPEG-2 and MPEG-4; the compatibility of the tuner and the standard should also be clarified separately, otherwise there is a risk of being left without TV even in the digital broadcasting zone. However, many modern models are able to work with both options.
— DVB-T2 (terrestrial). The European broadcasting s
...tandard, which replaced DVB-T. It provides higher bandwidth and is more resistant to interference; it is not compatible with the original DVB-T, but this is not a serious drawback: in most countries of Europe and the former Soviet Union, digital broadcasting is conducted precisely according to the DVB-T2 standard.
— DVB-C (cable). The European standard for digital broadcasting in cable networks. Despite the emergence of a more advanced DVB-C2 standard, it is still widely used by cable providers: DVB-C bandwidth allows you to transmit video in resolution up to Full HD and multi-channel audio, and equipment of this standard is relatively inexpensive.
— DVB-S, DVB-S2 (satellite). Standards for digital broadcasting via communication satellites; originally developed by European specialists, but are used worldwide. DVB-S2 is actually a development and improvement of DVB-S, DVB-S2 tuners can also work with the signal in the original DVB-S format. In light of this, modern TV tuners can provide both two separate satellite receivers and one module that supports both of these standards at once; before buying, this nuance should be clarified (especially if the characteristics of the type of satellite tuner is designated as "DVB-S/S2").Video decoders
Codec — from the phrase "Encoder-DECoder" — in this case is the format used for encoding digital video during storage/transmission and decoding during playback (without encoding, video data would take up an unjustifiably large amount of space). Do not confuse this parameter with the format of video files: different files of the same format can be encoded with different codecs, and if the corresponding codec is not supported by the player, video playback will be impossible, even if the file format itself corresponds to the capabilities of the device. And in models with online TV support (see "Features") this nuance also determines compatibility with a specific broadcast: the general format of the broadcast is indicated by the codec used for this.
In general, modern devices usually have quite extensive sets of codecs (one of the most advanced is
H.265,
AV1 codecis also popular), and there are usually no problems with video playback; in extreme cases, you can use special programs for transcoding files. As for specific codecs, detailed data on them can be found in special sources, but with standard use of media players, such details are not needed.
Remote IR sensor connection
Possibility to connect an external IR sensor to the device.
Such a sensor plays the role of a receiver for commands from the remote control. It is useful in cases where the set-top box is difficult or impossible to install in a place convenient for remote control — in such a place you can place a remote receiver and use the remote control without any problems. Note that the sensor itself is usually not included into the package.
