The Fortecstar Passion represents the next generation of Free to Air (FTA) Satellite set top boxes, and packs a pretty mighty punch.
My previous review on the Silvercrest SL-65 dealt almost as much on the concepts of FTA as the machine itself, I'll try and keep that part reasonably short in this review.
In the UK, most people think that 'Satellite' means 'Sky' - that isn't entirely the case.
There are dozens of satellites beaming TV content at the United Kingdom, and only one carries Sky.
The Sky channels are almost all encrypted, and need special chipsets, so unless you have a unit specifically endorsed by SKY (and take out a subscription), you won't be able to pick up their output.
Saying that, there's a huge amount of content from other broadcasters which isn't encrypted (hence 'Free to Air').
Now - this doesn't mean it's in English, yes, a lot of the terrestrial broadcasters are represented (BBC, ITV etc) but rather than seeing this as a drawback, I consider this to be like being invited to the 'front room' of our continental cousins.
The Fortecstar Passion has high definition decoders built in. This means your HD TV with an HDMI interface can accept a digital signal (and a rather good one at that!).
There's the usual complement of analogue ports (SCARTS, RCA Phonos etc) supporting progressive scan etc, but I reckon the 1080i HD is the main selling point for this set.
The BBC has committed to broadcasting several hours of High Definition TV every night , I watched Gardeners' World in all it's glory tonight, and it was only when I switched back to the normal 626 line version that I realised the absolute jaw-dropping clarity which the Passion offers!
If you choose to use a 'bog standard' dish then you'll have virtually just the BBC to choose from, given time I suspect a lot of the other broadcasters will provide 1080 output also.
That isn't to say that you can't het low-res stations, of course you can, but you'll not get the extra quality.
The box is about the same size as a standard VCR - featuring an LED readout and a big blue light. Colour scheme is mostly silver with a black stripe.
Firmware updates can be loaded via a null modem cable, or USB port (saves a lot of time that way) initial firmware was a bit flaky, bit the latest version is pretty much debugged.
For the more adventurous, the unit supports motorised dishes - I've only had my set working for a couple of hours, and so haven't got that entirely sorted out, but it looks pretty straightforward from a menuing perspective.
This isn't 'mainstream' stuff, and you need a bit of satellite savvy to get it all working correctly so it's probably beyond the average satellite viewer.
In spite of this, it's a hugely versatile unit, just as long as you don't want SKY.
Whilst there's probably a number of independent retailers who offer this unit, the most familiar is likely to be Maplin (it figures) - you CAN use your old SKY dish, but the number of stations you can get is restricted.
Picture quality is excellent, there's digital audio in the form of optical output (as well as HDMI and analogue) and the USB port can be used to play MP3 tracks from a memory stick, or players which look like a disk drive to PCs.
The remote control looks if anything a little cheap (not unlike the unit itself) however it has the advantage of being able to be programmable and can control other devices in your AV setup.
List price is around £200, street price is nearer the £150 mark. Maplin even have 'B Grade' units for around the £100 mark, I bought mine on Ebay for £65 (possibly the original owner wasn't up to installing it correctly).
If your dish is set up correctly, this ought to work 'right out the box' and the UK version at least was set up with the English Language stations appearing first on the list (Lidl's kit is mainly intended for continental use, meaning the BBC is in the mid-600 range).
Overall, a highly competent box of tricks, although the full versatility is technically less than easy to achieve.
Doubtless other manufacturers will bring out similar systems over the next couple of years, which will make these cheaper, but as an 'early adopter' piece of kit, the Fortecstar Passion is an impressive box of tricks.
Firmware is available free to download from the Fortecstar site, however copies of the operating manual are notable by their absence (so don't lose your copy) My Ebay purchase came without the detailed instructions, however I'm reasonably familiar with this technology to work a lot of it out myself.
Finally, the unit comes with a coupe of CAM slots - for PCMCIA type decryptors - I'm not sure entirely useful these would be - its the same technology as used in 'topup TV' but don't imagine your 'sky card' will fit!
I still have to get to the bottom of this beastie, but I've been able to establish in a couple of hours that it has all the facilities that I'm going to want for the next couple of years.
Altogether - a highly commendable unit, if a bit 'techie'.
More details
Remote Control
Satisfactory
Instructions
Quite Helpful / Understandable
Durability
Good
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