The daddy of all DVB digital receivers has landed, the Linux-based Dreambox DM8000 HD Ready PVR DVB digital receiver.

German-based company, Dream Multimedia announced their newest Linux based Dreambox DM8000 back in 2006, anticipating the release in the earlier part of 2007. Due to unplanned upgrades to its hardware and other delays, it wasn’t launched until the end of 2008. The delay allowed other manufacturers to catch up and put their own Linux based receivers out on the market, but hundreds of beta testers have confirmed that the new DM8000 satellite/cable/terrestrial DVB receiver from Dream Multimedia is the most versatile and feature-packed receiver to ever hit the market. It was greeted by customers around the world with a warm welcome.

FEATURES

Besides traditional features like DVD support, mixable plug&play, and a brightly spacious OLED front display, the DM8000’s TV API supporting 400MHz processor can decode MPEG 2 and h.264 formats. It also supports 10/100MB compatible Ethernet Interface (for firmware updates), four DVB Common Interface slots, and V.24/RS232 Interfaces. There are three USB ports: one in the front, and two in the back. There are two smartcard readers, 128MB internal flash memory, and 256MB RAM. The DVI interface can be plugged straight into your TV’s HDMI slot to give you full HD. With two integrated SATA drive supports (the unit can hold a 3.5” HDD of any capacity and a SATA SlimLine DVD), browsing unlimited channel lists is a breeze. Because of the unit’s speeds, the wait time between switching channels is under a second, so you can switch between channels quicker than ever before.

TECHNICAL SPECS

• Frequency Range 950…2150 MHz
• QPSK Demodulation EN 302 307
• Signal Level – 65 dBm…- 25 dBm
• Signal-to-Noise Level 12 dB max.
• DBS-Tuner Input Connector F-Type female
• Input Impedance 75 Ohm
• AFC +/- 3 MHz
• Demodulation Shaped QPSK and 8PSK
• FEC Viterbi and Reed-Solomon
• Viterbirate 1/4, 1/3, 2/5, 1/2, 3/5, 2/3, 3/4, 4/5, 5/6, 8/9
• Roll-off Factor 35 %
• Video Compression MPEG-2 / H.264 and MPEG-1 compatible
• Video Standard PAL G/ 25 Hz, NTSC
• Video Formats 4:3 / 16:9
• Letterbox for 4:3 TV-Device
• Ambient Temperature +15°C…+35°C
• Humidity < 80%
• Size (W x D x H): 430 mm x 280 mm x 90 mm
• Weight: 3,0 kg  without HDD a. DVD

Click on the image to see the back of the DM8000, courtesy of SatWell.com

Ofcourse, Dream Multimedia is very proud of its acheivements and has put a lot into the research and development of this high-end product. The company’s spokesman, Tim Ziemann, said:

“The DM8000 forcefully underlines Dream’s role as a pioneer in the technology of digital television. Now, HDTV is even better than before. With the DM8000, recording and burning on DVD’s is no longer a problem. It makes no difference, whether you wish to receive HDTV via satellite, cable or via the terrestrial route. The DM8000 is ready for the future of HDTV on all distribution paths – right now.”

PLUGINS

The Dreambox DM8000 has great plugin support. With add-ons like webcam clients, SHOUTcast, Jukebox radio clients, 3^rd party media players, external TV guides and a full-featured web browser, the DM8000 really does bring the world to your TV.

Because of the open-platform for developers, addons, games and applications developed by third party developers means the DM8000 is really a powerh0use in itself. In a way, it’s Germany’s version of the Sony PS3. Extra features are made available through easy to use firmware updates. These “images” embrace Linux’s true intentions: the unlimited support of different sets of new and exciting things allows independent developers to fully utilize DM8000’s state-of-the-art hardware capabilities. There are hundreds of free applications, addons, plugins and upgrades available. The most popular images include: Ronaldd, NewNigma2, Peter Pan, BoxMan, PLi and OpenPLI, iCVS, Merlin, Nabilosat, LT, MiLo, OoZooN, and Sif.

Click to enlarge.

PIRACY

The wide spread use of illegal TV cards, particularly in Europe, copyright infringement is inevitable. Previously, a number of Dreambox dealers have been arrested for fraudulent fostering of piracy. Such incidents have boosted the DM8000’s reputation for those seeking free TV service in Europe. Most believe that private dealers are to blame, while others are certain that the Dreambox unit itself is at fault for using an open-platform such as Linux, and therefore making such illegal developments possible. Dream Multimedia denies these allegations; the company stated that they will back relevant efforts to fight piracy.

As technology progresses and we demand more on the press of our remotes, we should see more developments in the DVB arena in the years to come. We wanted to be able to watch youtube videos, browse the net, stream videos from our PC while we watch Big Brother in PIP mode, its now become a reality.

The Dreambox DM8000 is not for the feint hearted, and comes at its premium price-tag of at nearly £900.

You can find full product specifications in the company’s promotional brochure, and you can download it here. Buy the Dreambox DM8000 from Techdna.co.uk.