Fortec Star Fortune New STB

[FTABman0]

I have seen today where the Dynamic was a short lived receiver and Fortec Star is calling the Dynamic now, retired! The new model to come from the Fortec Star People is the Fortec Star Fortune! The things I noticed about this new STB were all the buttons on the front of the box itself! Seems like if you lost your remote control you could pretty much set this thing up just by the buttons on the front! I would have given you a link to see it but found it at another site that would conflict with our Gold sponsors so do a Google search for it! The remote is the same as the Dynamic so it looks again that it is the same OSD as the Mercury II and Dynamic but cosmetic looking better! I have seen screenshots of the OSD and yes you guessed it, it looks like the Dynamic!

Here are the Features and Specs of the new Fortec Star Fortune:

Fortec Star Fortune
High-End Digital Satellite Receiver for Free To Air reception
Component Video Output
Made In Korea


Fortune is a powerful satellite receiver ideal for satellite enthusiast. This new model has component out. The receiver has an easy-to-use Menu, yet is feature-rich. Fortune comes with a comprehensive Power Scan for blind searching satellites. Users can back up their channel list before upgrading the software, and then restore the channel list, all from within the receiver’s own menu. The front panel has 8 buttons allowing complete control of the receiver’s functions without the use of the remote. The back panel has all the connection options you would need, with RCA composite jacks, component jacks (Y,Pb,Pr), and an S-video connection.


Fortec Star is one of the most popular satellite brands on the market, not only in the USA, but also in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The Fortec Star Fortune is made in Korea with quality components, supplies and parts and comes with a full 1-year warranty. This receiver is the most user-friendly satellite receiver and easy to setup. Hobbyist's favorite. Its customers number 1 choice because of the component video output and excellent picture quality. Below are some screen shots and brief explanation of the menu and the receiver functions.

Features

Channel Back-up and Channel recovery function
8-button Menu Control on the front panel
Component video (Y,Pb,Pr) and S-Video connections
3 RCA connections (1 Video, 2 Audio L/R)
POWER Scan (blind search) with complete parameter control
One-button quick start Power Scan on the remote
One-button jump to Channel Edit function
Dolby Digital 5.1 audio pass-through (optical)
100 programmable satellites and 6,000 programmable channels
Timer function for Sleep / Wake Up / VCR Record and Channel Reminder
Fully MPEG 2 / DVB compliant, MCPC/SCPC, C/KU reception
1 LNB input with IF loop through for 2nd receiver
Manual PID scan function
DiSEqC 1.2 and USALS supported
Picture-In-Graphics function
Multi-Picture (4,9, 13 or 16 pictures) function
ZOOM In/Out
Electronic Program Guide
Multi language menu
8 favorite channel group selection and parental lock
Close Caption Supported
Data transfer: receiver-to-receiver or PC-to-receiver
IF / Tuner

Input Frequency
950 MHz to 2150 MHz

Input Signal Level
-30 to -65dBm

Input Impedance
75 ohm nominal

Input Connector
F-type, IEC 169-24, Female

FEC Decoder
Convolution Code Rate l/2, 2/3, 3/4,

5/6 and 7/8 with Constraint Length K=7

Demodulation
QPSK

Symbol rate
1-45 Ms/s SCPC/MCPC

IF Frequency
Zero IF

LNB Power & Polarization
V13 / H18, 500mA MAX. overload protection

DiSEqC Control
DiSEqC. 1.0, 1.1 / DiSEqC 1.2 Compatible

Positioner
USALS compatible

Memory
Processor
NEC 61114

Flash Memory
2 Mbytes

SDRAM
16 Mbytes

Satellite Capacity
100

Channel Capacity
6,000

Audio / Video Decoding
Video Decoder
MPEG-2 MP@ML (ISO/IEC 13818-2)

Input Rate
60Mbit/s Max

Video Resolution
720 x 480(NTSC)

Aspect Ratio
4:3, 16:9 (Letter Box)

Audio Decoder
MPEG Layer I &II

Audio Mode
Mono L/R, Dual Channel, Joint Stereo, Stereo

Audio Sampling Frequency
32, 44.1, 48 KHz

Audio / Video Output
Video
RCA composite, component (Y,Pb,Pr), S-Video

Audio R/L
RCA/Cinch Volume & Mute Control

S/PDIF
Digital Audio Output

DOLBY DIGITAL 5.1 Pass-through

Serial Data Interface

Connector Type
9 Pin D-Sub (male)

Signal
RS-232C, Max. 115200Bps

Power Supply
Supply Voltage
100VAC ~ 120VAC 60Hz(SMPS)

Power Consumption
Max. 30W

General
Weight
Approx. 2.52 Kg

Dimensions
300(W) x 210(D) x 60(H)mm

Colorful & Interactive screen with over 20 languages. These languages are:

English
Finish

Swedish
Turkish

German
Portuguese

Greek
Romanian

Hungarian
Russian

Indonesian
Spanish

Italian
Serbian

Farsi
Norwegian

Croatian Czech
Danish Dutch


More On Features:

You are prompted to choose your choice of language the first time you turn the receiver on.

Under System Setup, you can change your language of choice to any of the languages listed above; you can choose your TV type, like PAL or NTSC. In the USA, we use NTSC. You can also take advantage of the Parental Lock option to lock a certain channel or the menus. You can setup your time for the front panel of the receiver. More details on this function is below.

Under channel manager, you can edit your channel list, you can rename, change its specifications and much more. You can also sort your channel list according to different criteria. You can also create a favorite channel list by different categories like Movies, Sports, Etc...

The receiver comes with 100 programmable satellites and 6000 programmable TV and Radio stations.

By pressing a single button, the user has access to the full channel list and can sort the list according to satellite, network, etc...

Similar to POWER Scan, this function will scan in the TV stations, but it only scans them based on the transponder parameters (Frequency, Symbol Rate, & Polarization) that are already programmed in the satellite receiver.

One of the most popular features of this receiver is its Channel Backup & Recovery system. When you setup your channel list, simply back up the list. When and if you accidentally erase the channel list, you can simply go to Channel Recovery and bring the exact same channels back according to the way they were previously programmed. No need to program the receiver again!

Excellent sound and picture quality.

Simply press the "info" button on the remote to display the channel parameters including Audio PID, Video PID, and PCR, broadcasting transponder frequency, symbol rate and polarization.

Another useful function which is not abundant on other satellite receivers is that not only does the clock of the receiver function according to the satellite, but you can also offset the time by the exact minutes. This is important as the satellite times are not always correct.

Excellent installation choices under the Installation Menu. Your options are Setup, Auto Scan, TP Scan, Factory Reset and most important the powerful POWER Scan | Blind Search Function.

Under channel manager, you can edit your channel list, you can rename, change its specifications and much more. You can also sort your channel list according to different criteria. You can also create a favorite channel list by different categories like Movies, Sports, Etc...

This is where you setup your antenna. You have a full list of pre-programmed satellites. You choose your LNB type and frequency here also. You can choose your DiSEqC ports and 0/22 KHz switching. The receiver also recognizes the carrier automatically. The receiver has DiSEqC1.2 (Motor Control) also which allows you to automatically turn your dish from one satellite to another.

The receiver comes with a powerful POWER Scan function with editable parameters controlled by the user. User can set starting frequency, ending frequency, and a full range of Symbol Rate. Also you can choose the type of stations you'd like to scan, Scrambled, FTA, or both. You can also change the polarity to Vertical, Horizontal or Both. Blind Search or POWER Scan allows you to find new Transponder frequencies and new channels for you.

By pressing a single button the user can check the quality and level of the signal and also can use it as a signal meter to help align the satellite dish

Similar to Auto Scan, TP scan only scans 1 Transponder that is already programmed into the receiver.

One of the better futures is the timer on this receiver. Simply program your VCR and Receiver to turn on at a certain time and turn off at a certain time to record your favorite shows. Choose how often, and choose for the receiver to turn on, turn off, or change channels to a certain station.

The Fortune receiver also offers 4 different multi-channel functions. Click here for a video demonstration modes of channel. This is great to still watch your programming in the center of the screen while seeing what else is on other stations.

Another great feature of the receiver is the Signal Beep Sound. When turned on, this function beeps as you lock on to your satellite signal. It's an excellent and useful tool to use when you can not physically look at the monitor while aligning your satellite dish.

The Dynamic never even had a year run in the US before retirement!

Sorry for the long post, but this is the first time I have seen the new model and heard that the Dynamic is on its way out already and thought I would post the new model that is replacing it!


K E V I N

 

[Anole]

all dressed up an no where to go:

I don't use my Mercury II regularly, but I didn't notice any feature listed that it didn't already have.
The video and audio output have been there all the time.

So, this is the third dress they've put on the same hardware?
I don't quite see it, myself. Just an excuse to start out with a high list price?
Of course, the Merc is a good receiver, so this one should be -mature- out of the starting gate.

Where the heck is the hard drive interface? SATA? USB?
I'm spoiled with USB to load and save transponder lists and firmware.
Computers don't come with RS232 any more, so why do STBs?!

 

[TimLones111]

I don't use my Mercury II regularly, but I didn't notice any feature listed that it didn't already have.
The video and audio output have been there all the time.

I have to agree. I don't see this as an improvement on the Dynamic at all..Looks like the exact same receiver to me..

 

[FTABman0]

Very true Anole about the RS232, USB is the way to go there. I like to see them dump the Video RCA AV Composite hookup and keep the Component Video Input & S Video, and start putting HDMI in all of the new ones! That would be all receivers SD & HD.

I still use my Mercury II and the old Classic NA! The Dynamic I have is what the wife watches the Glorystar stuff on in the bedroom, I can say I will not be getting rid of any of the old models just yet. Nothing really jumped off the page with the Fortune other than the buttons on the front but would still use the remote control.

Looks like they are leaning back to the Lifetime Ultra look a bit on this model. Instead of another Mercury II Clone how about a US version of the Passion? Guess we will never see that happen, two long in the waiting for that one!

Now the teasing with the HD Innovation it will never end!

I quit wishing on that along time ago.

B~Man

 

[Anole]

I still use my Mercury II and the old Classic NA! The Dynamic I have is what the wife watches the Glorystar stuff on in the bedroom, I can say I will not be getting rid of any of the old models just yet. Nothing really jumped off the page with the Fortune other than the buttons on the front but would still use the remote control.

As someone with the two previous versions in active use, you didn't find anything new, either?
(yea, yea, yea, big deal on the front panel) -

Thanks for bring the latest incarnation to our attention. - :up
I suppose someone needs to get hold of one and do a full review.
Maybe we -did- overlook a feature or some polish.

As stocks of Dynamics and used Merc II's dry up, I guess we'll be recommending the Fortune (interesting choice of name!)

The venerable coolsat 5000/6000 were so popular and solid, they came back as clones.
Sticking with a proven design is a conservative decision in these turbulent times.

 

[Tron]

Wasn't there supposed to be a decent HD receiver in the pipeline from Fortec? No, besides the Passion?

Oh, well. For now I can use my PCI DVB card and Visionsat for HD recording...

 

[starman345]

It is really disappointing to see "new" NA models like this after reading about the prolifteration of European boxes, both Linux and non Linux across the pond. Where is our NA dvb-s2 blind scanning HD receiver? How about a box with pop in tuners, boxes that can record two channels while watching another?, Multimedia capable boxes connected to the Internet, The list goes on and on. We are getting the crumbs here, now our (already once re-badged) Dynamics have a new name....again, just our good "fortune"? More of the same with new paint.
Ftabman0, thanks for posting this info, not meaning to shoot the messenger but I am frustrated with this situation, maybe this belongs in the - whats annoying you now thread

 

[spacebug42]

I'm kind of glad that the Dynamic is being retired. It's a good receiver, but with my hearing loss, I need closed captioning and the Dynamic doesn't have it. The Fortune appears to have everything as the Dynamic has and more. I'll do a search for it and consider upgrading the receiver.

 

[TimLones111]

I'm kind of glad that the Dynamic is being retired. It's a good receiver, but with my hearing loss, I need closed captioning and the Dynamic doesn't have it. The Fortune appears to have everything as the Dynamic has and more. I'll do a search for it and consider upgrading the receiver.

Dynamic has closed captioning supposedly but ive never got it to work properly..One of the few disappointments of the Dynamic.

 

[FTABman0]

Dynamic has closed captioning supposedly but ive never got it to work properly..One of the few disappointments of the Dynamic.

Every STB I have owned I have never seen the Closed Caption part work by the box alone. I just done an experiment with my CNX box and guess what, got it to work but there is a catch! Of course there is a catch there always is. On a hunch I hooked my CNX to the bedroom LCD flat screen tonight by RG6 cable from the out to TV on the STB and turned the Caption to on by the remote button on the CNX. Still nothing, so I turned the Closed Caption on the TV to CC1 and boom, they started working! I turned the Captions off on my CNX and yes they went off!

Looks like your TV has to decode them and the STB Caption Feature just lets them come through when switched on or off. Now I wanted to see if they would work with my current set up using the Component video (Y,Pb,Pr) input and yes it does the same thing. So with that, if you got a TV with a built in Closed Caption Feature, turn it to CC1 and then your STB will send the Captions to the TV to decode.

Thanks to spacebug42 & TimLones111 for mentioning this in this thread for I would never have tried to make it work at all! I have tried Closed Captions on all my boxes before but just figured that it was a thing like the EPG since half of these feeds are not intended for us on the FTA side anyway thinking we are just seeing the main downlink and maybe they at the distributing end encode them from their in before it goes out.

I am on Galaxy Galaxy 18 on KMMF Fox and the Captions are working great! See Screen Shots Below!

UPDATE:
I just tried this with the Dynamic and it works the same way! CC1 on your TV needs to be turned ON then you can toggle your remote to Closed Caption on or off and it will work! The only catch is your TV must have a Closed Caption Decoder for it to work!

Remember, not all stations do Closed Captioning so it might not work on all channels from time to time! You all have seen the CC in the box, “before shows start”.

Look for the CC Symbol (Below) at the beginning of the programs to see if it is.

Hope this helped out!

B~Man

 

[Sadoun]

The Fortune is the same as the Dynamic with a different faceplate. Nothing different inside at all. Usually when a mfg runs out of faceplates, they use whatever they have left from another model and just call it a different name to differentiate the models.

When a completely new receiver is available, you will rest assured that we will let you know about it with all the new features/improvements listed.

So far, the DYNAMIC has proven to be a very reliable, mature and good quality receiver.

 

[AcWxRadar]

Thanks to FTABman0 and Sadoun for advise on this subject. I can attest to the very simple and excellent operation of the DYNAMIC FortecStar receiver. It truly is a great piece of equipment, so the Fortune should be equally strong in these points.

RADAR

 

[spacebug42]

will try it on another set

Thanks to FTABman0 for pointing out the problem why I can't see the closed captioning. I have my Fortec Star Dynamic hooked up through my home theater receiver then on to a high defintion projection system. Before I got my FTA system set up, I used it to play DVDs from Netflix and every DVD I got had a way for me to enable the captioning before starting the movie. I know for certain that my idle 47 inch rear-projection TV (circa 1995) displays closed captioning and so does my computer monitor which also has an OTA tuner built in. I might try hooking up the old 47 inch set and see if the captioning shows up on it. I would eventually like to get a 42 or 47 inch HDTV set and haul the old 47 inch TV to the electronics recycling area of my local garbage dump.

 

[FTABman0]

Thanks to FTABman0 for pointing out the problem why I can't see the closed captioning. I have my Fortec Star Dynamic hooked up through my home theater receiver then on to a high defintion projection system. Before I got my FTA system set up, I used it to play DVDs from Netflix and every DVD I got had a way for me to enable the captioning before starting the movie. I know for certain that my idle 47 inch rear-projection TV (circa 1995) displays closed captioning and so does my computer monitor which also has an OTA tuner built in. I might try hooking up the old 47 inch set and see if the captioning shows up on it. I would eventually like to get a 42 or 47 inch HDTV set and haul the old 47 inch TV to the electronics recycling area of my local garbage dump.

You are very welcome spacebug42! Like I said, I have had many STB's in and out of here and never once seen that feature work on any of the SD boxes I have tried it on. If not for your post about Closed Captions, I would never have tried it since that is a feature I rarely use or don’t use at all. It was a fun experiment to see to try at least! Let me know if it works for you, the Dynamic worked fine last night when I did it and with the TV on CC1 the remote on the Dynamic Switched them on and off like it is supposed to do!! Just make sure your Closed Captions on your TV is set to CC1! Glad to help someone out that really needs the feature!


Keep me posted on your results!

K E V I N

 

[WSInternational]

The Fortune is the same as the Dynamic with a different faceplate. Nothing different inside at all. Usually when a mfg runs out of faceplates, they use whatever they have left from another model and just call it a different name to differentiate the models.

When a completely new receiver is available, you will rest assured that we will let you know about it with all the new features/improvements listed.

So far, the DYNAMIC has proven to be a very reliable, mature and good quality receiver.

Absolutely. The Fortune & the Dynamic are basically the same receivers. The only difference between the two (hardware) is that the Dynamic has a card reader, but it does not work with any subscription based channels. It's just there!. Also, the software is a bit different because of the card reader, but you can easily swap out the software with the software of the Dynamic or the Mercury II (which there is not a whole lot of difference between the two).

There is a couple of new STB in the piplelines as far as Fortec and I'm sure everybody will lik it as soon as it's released. So far, Fortec Star satellite receivers have been some of the best Set Top Boxes on the market and I'm sure many many people will agree to this. It's by far the best hobbyist satellite receiver & consumer satellite receiver on the market today and I'm sure will continue to be that way. They always have excellent features and functions and the new STBs won't be any different.

 

[FTABman0]

I agree 100% Robby! I still say that my old Classic NA is the best blind scan box I have had to date, and there have been a lot of boxes I have tried and used! Now it is super slow but gets the job done! I was truly impressed with the Mercury II and the Dynamic! I wanted something that was trouble free for my bedroom and got the old Coolsat 6000 out of there and replaced it with Dynamic!

By far, any Fortec Star line of receivers is built tough, dependable and is a TRUE FTA baseline receiver for the hobbyist! It is about the simplest boxes to setup and use right out of the gift box! Even the new guy that has never set a system up can figure out how to operate!

Just my opinion though.

K E V I N

 

[AcWxRadar]

I agree 100% Robby! I still say that my old Classic NA is the best blind scan box I have had to date, and there have been a lot of boxes I have tried and used! Now it is super slow but gets the job done! I was truly impressed with the Mercury II and the Dynamic! I wanted something that was trouble free for my bedroom and got the old Coolsat 6000 out of there and replaced it with Dynamic!

By far, any Fortec Star line of receivers is built tough, dependable and is a TRUE FTA baseline receiver for the hobbyist! It is about the simplest boxes to setup and use right out of the gift box! Even the new guy that has never set a system up can figure out how to operate!

Just my opinion though.

K E V I N

FTABman0,

I will definitely agree with you on this subject. After being around the block a few times and getting shafted on a couple of brands, I think I have found the proper receiver brand for FTA TV (and Radio).

I thought that the Coolsat 5000 and 6000 models were excellent. However, since they discontinued making them, I wondered what I would get to replace them.

I don't need to replace any of my own receivers, but my friends want to get into the FTA adventure, too. I cannot tell them to buy a Coolsat on Ebay and feel good about it as they might end up with someone's jacked up and hacked unit, which may even have a lot of problems. I can buy some of these types of units and usually figure out how to revert them to working condition, but a new person on the FTA block won't know about these things and I wouldn't wish it on them.

From now on, until something better comes up, I am going with the Fortec Star receivers! They are very user friendly and they do perform as the manufacturer states they will.

When I get my "hobby money" built back up, I am going to buy some more Fortec receivers! I really like them and you are absolutely right, they are very, very good FTA receivers.

RADAR

 

[FTABman0]

RADAR,
The Fortec Star Brand is all I set up for people! When introduce FTA and the hobby to friends and family, when they want a system, they get a Fortec Star system! I usually just set them up with a Moteck Motor and most of the time; they get a Fortec Star Universal FSKU-V LNB! If you never used one, you need to get one and try! The ones I stocked up on a few years ago say they are .03 N.F. level! Not .04 N.F like the new ones!


I am about out of those but you can bet I will keep a couple for spares! Fortec Star now also makes a motor and I would wish that Sadoun or someone would get some of those for me to try out! I love the Fortec Star line and will continue to put these systems in for people!

On another note the guy that I set the system up for a couple weeks ago says that he is really disappointed in the KU FTA thing. I find out today that he was told about the “Eye Patch” part and wanted it really to do so with this system! He told my Father N Law that there was “Cards” that you could insert in the Dynamic to make it get all the pay channels!

This is one reason that I pick the Fortec Star brand for people because there is NO Support for the “Eye Patch” S#*T! :up

Needless to say he wants it taken down now and my Father N Law wants it for his new set-up with his Skyvision stuff and his new 8 footer! So, there are still a lot of people out there that think that the FTA thing means Everything Free!



Just to show how much this guy was mislead the card thing was a D*tv thing back in the late 90’s early 2000's and has not a clue what service or what there is to watch legally on these systems! I really do not care, I will just go out and take it down and give it to a new owner that will appreciate it more!

I never put a system in anyway or even talk about them if that person asks about pay channels! I hate it to no end that FTA to most people means hacking pay TV!

This hobby has a black eye and it really started way before the E* years! Back when the big C-Band era was around almost nobody scrambled their signals, the old timers like this guy thought that he could and asked around and looked things up on the internet about hacking way before I got out there to install his system.

I should have thought that it would go that way for before I left out there he said something about HBO coming on around 11PM. Just like back in the day of the veteran BUD owners would say, I told him that this box will only pick up in the clear signals and nothing else! I made sure that I scanned all FTA Only transponders in before I left out there. Anyway, one reason he got the FSKU-V LNB! Heh Heh!

I defiantly can’t wait till E* gets there signal secured and this stuff will come to an end like it did for the D*tv stuff! I am patently waiting for the HD STB’S to come down in price and it will be Christmas for us all!

I am glad my Father N Law is going to get it! He bought it for the guy (His Best Friend) to just try anyway to see if he wanted to get into the hobby! Guess he got an awakening! I have my Father N Law recruited into the “Adventures In Dish Hunting” BUD style. He calls me everyday on places where he has stopped and seen a BUD and a smaller Dish in yards! Got him trained right!

My Brother is on the look out for dishes too! I think he found a Birdveiw the other day! Woo Hoo! He said he thinks it is one since he has heard me describe one and I just sent him pictures of what they look like, Logo, back of dish and front! These dishes you can’t confuse with other ones when you find one! He has yet to email me back!

Anyway, a short story there on the Dynamic and my frustration with some A$$ that thought it was too good to be true! It was! I only set up Legal FTA!


K E V I N

 

[Techfizzle]

why does everything fortec make look 10 years old?

 

[FTABman0]

why does everything fortec make look 10 years old?

fizzle,

Now that you think about it they do look behind the times!

One of the best if not THE BEST "Blind Scan" STB out there!!

They are tanks though!

K E V I N