The GS B211 satellite TV tuner was introduced in 2014, becoming the most popular receiver in the Tricolor TV equipment exchange program. The model was created specifically to replace older receivers that do not support HD viewing quality "Maximum HD".
Appearance
The lack of a display helped reduce power consumption. The power supply removed from the case reduced heat and made it easier to replace in the event of a failure.
The GS B211 receiver, the photo of which is presented here, is produced in a black compact glossy plastic case measuring 110 x 175 x 30 mm. The sides of the case are rounded, which gives it a modern look. There are ventilation holes on the top and bottom surfaces. On the front panel there is only one button for switching between the operating mode and the standby mode of the receiver, which is indicated by green and red illumination, respectively. On the side of the case is a slot for installing a conditional access card.
Glossy plastic case andthe lack of a display, which distinguishes the Tricolor GS B211 receiver, customer reviews call the main design flaws of the device. Complaints are caused by the fact that the case attracts dust, gets very dirty, scratches are clearly visible on it.
On the back panel are located:
- LNB antenna input connector;
- USB port;
- HDMI connector;
- RCA CVBS composite video output;
- RCA stereo output;
- connector of remote control signal receiver;
- 12V power adapter connector.
RF-modulator, which the GS B211 receiver lacks, consumer reviews also did not go unnoticed. Without it, viewing on TVs with only an antenna input became impossible.
Remote infrared receiver allows you to receive signals to the TV tuner, which is located in a place where there is no direct line of sight of the remote control.
GS B211 receiver: specifications + reviews
The main processor AmberS2 became the first processor for satellite receivers, completely manufactured in the Russian Federation. It uses System-in-Pack (SIP) technology used in consumer electronics. Developed and manufactured by GS Nanotech, which is part of Technopolis GS.
SIP system is a combination of several functional components in one module. Combined in this case:
- processor STH206;
- cryptographic microprocessor GS Lanthanum;
- SDRAM DDR3;
- NOR Flash drive.
Designed for low-cost high definition (HD) devices and supports secure communication technology. The processor made it possible to improve image quality at a minimum cost, which has found application not only in satellite receivers, but also in security systems, medicine, etc.
256 MB of RAM and built-in 128 MB of flash memory is another improvement that the Tricolor GS B211 receiver has undergone. User feedback is extremely positive, since such an innovation has increased the number of connected Tricolor TV services.
Bitrate - 2 to 45 Msymbols/s, QPSK and 8PSK modulations.
Increasing the sensitivity of the receiver is another innovation that the GS B211 satellite receiver boasts. Feedback from fans of satellite television confirms the improvement in reception stability under adverse weather conditions. Of course, the correct choice of the antenna and its high-quality tuning play an important role here.
DRE Crypt 3.0 signal coding system is used.
The ability to record programs on an external flash drive is another feature that the GS B211 receiver has. Feedback from subscribers on this matter is mixed. On the one hand, this is what many consumers expected, and on the other hand, users are depressing that the recording of film channels has remained unavailable. Moreover, the recording can only be viewed on the device that produced it.
Support for DiseqC versions 1.0 and1.1, which was purchased by the GS B211 receiver, the reviews of the owners characterize positively. It allows you to independently select and configure satellites, scan open FTA channels of other satellites with additional LNB converters, which you could only dream of before.
Package set
Kit that comes with GS B211 receiver:
- instruction manual along with Tricolor TV brochure,
- external power supply,
- remote control,
- the digital receiver itself.
The remote control is similar to the remotes of other Tricolor TV receivers - it is light and convenient, the control is located in the center. There is a “More TV” button that calls the “On Air!” application, a “TV-Mail” button, which, when pressed, launches the corresponding section of the “Personal Account” application, the “Movie” button calls the “Tricolor TV Cinema Halls” application. The remote control is powered by 2 AAA batteries, which for some reason are not included in the kit.
The lack of batteries, as well as an HDMI cable and an external IR receiver, are minor things that significantly reduce the impression that the GS B211 receiver could have made. Feedback from subscribers confirms this.
Connection
When you turn on the device for the first time, the “Settings Wizard” application is launched, which allows you to perform the settings required for the tuner in several steps and find channels. Most of the default settings are optimized for standard tuner operation. Settings are maderemote control. The application can be stopped at any time by clicking the "Exit" button. In this case, a message about unsuccessful channel search will appear. You can resume it using the Find TV app.
Presets
In the beginning of the Setup Wizard, you need to set the interface language, video resolution for connecting via HDMI cable, and set the aspect ratio. The choice of video resolution must be confirmed by pressing the OK button on the remote control and saved, otherwise the dialog box will close after 15 seconds and the selection will be canceled.
For different TV receiver models, it is possible to select the user interface display format. This can be done by selecting the "Set Visibility" menu item. The appropriate size of the visibility area is selected by the buttons on the remote control.
Date and time
At this stage of the application, the time and date are set.
If the "Auto" option is set to ON, then the system date and time will be obtained from the TV operator. This setting is set by default in the satellite receiver.
Manual setting of the date and time is done in the OFF state of the "Automatic" option. After that, you need to select the "Change" item and in the appeared context menu "Time. Date” using the number keys of the remote control or the cursor buttons to enter the data. They can be saved or exited without saving by pressing the "Exit" button.
The time difference between a particular place and UTC is indicated in the "Time Zoneauto".
The ON option will set the time zone automatically if the satellite TV operator broadcasts such information. In the absence of this data, either the default +3 value or the last entered value is used. If the switch is in the OFF state, then the time zone information is set manually.
Search settings
All subsequent stages of the "Wizard" are related to setting up the channel search.
After selecting a broadcasting operator for a region, a scale of strength and quality of reception will appear at the bottom of the screen. "Tricolor TV" advises not to change the settings of the satellite dish.
Next, you need to select a broadcasting region from the proposed list. If it is “Main”, then the satellite receiver will find channels that are broadcast throughout the territory of the provider. Choosing another subject will expand the list of the main region with additional local channels.
Search channels
The next step of the "Wizard" is the actual search for TV and radio channels in automatic mode according to the selected settings for the region and operator. The process is accompanied by a display of scales of progress, quality and strength of the satellite signal, a list of channels that are currently found. After the search procedure is completed, the application will display a message about the end of the search and a list of found channels.
To save the search results, you need to select the "Save" menu item. After that, the tuner will switch to the first channel in the list and start showing it. To view changes in the channel list,Select the "Show Changes" menu item. A list of changes will appear in a pop-up window. You can return to the search results window by pressing "Exit" on the remote control.
Here it is worth noting that the channel switching speed demonstrated by the GS B211 receiver is called by subscribers, although not critical, but leaves much to be desired.
Firmware update
- Power off the receiver.
- Place a FAT32-formatted flash drive into the USB port of the satellite receiver. The root folder of the drive must contain the file b211.upd.
- Connect the power to the receiver. When the download is complete, make sure there are no messages.
- Waiting for prompt and confirm software update.
- After the download is complete, the satellite tuner will restart automatically.
- Power off. Disconnect the flash drive and write the file b211_lcs1_app.upd. to it
- Connect the flash drive with the b211_lcs1_app.upd file in the root folder to the USB port.
- Turn off the power of the receiver. When the download is complete, make sure that there are no graphics on the screen, including prompt messages.
- Wait until the update prompt appears and press the OK button to start updating the firmware.
- After the update procedure is completed, the device will reboot automatically.
- Remove the flash drive from the USB port after the reboot is complete.
As a result of the set-top box exchange campaign, subscribers not only increase the number of received television channels by more than a third, but also receive a GS B211 receiver for a small surcharge, the technical characteristics of which are close to those of expensive high-quality satellite tuners.
