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A lot has changed in the world of USB satellite receivers since my original SkyStar2 USB review:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=27114

The VisionPlus StarBox is the very latest in the line of TwinHan receivers and is aimed at users who either own a laptop, those who have no free PCI slots or users who may not be comfortable installing PCI cards into their machine.
The StarBox is capable of Ku and C-Band digital reception with full DiSEqC, USALS and 22KHz support.

The box arrived from Sadoun via FedEx within 2 days, as with the 120cm dish I received I can't fault Sadoun on their fast shipping.

What's in the box?

Encased within the box are the main components which are held in place securely in plastic to prevent damage, everything survived the journey without damage.

The unit comes with a clear braided USB cable for connection from the receiver to the computer.
A universal 9V power supply is included which is capable of 100V-240V operation for overseas use.
The installation sheet and driver CD include easy instructions for connecting the receiver to the host PC and include the main application and drivers for the StarBox as well as a copy of Cyberlinks excellent PowerDVD5 software complete with serial number.
The included IR remote control comes complete with batteries all ready to use and is full-featured with practically every command you'll ever need to control the system.
Lastly the unit itself, TwinHan have invested a lot of R&D into shrinking things down, the box itself is pocket-sized and is finished in a tasteful metallic grey colour with the VisionPlus logo embossed on the sides.
The box can either lay horizontal or vertical with the included detachable stand.

On the rear of the box we have the power socket, the F-connector and the USB2 socket, all are easy to access and are self explanatory.


In use:

I decided to test this receiver using my laptop which is equipped with USB2 ports to match the StarBox.
After visiting the TwinHan site I saw that new drivers had just been released which is reassuring to know they're continually updating their software.

I plugged the StarBox into the USB2 port and installed the latest driver - Windows accepted the receiver without a hitch so I proceeded to fire up the software.

It's amazing how things have changed within a year.

Instead of throwing out the software and opting for ProgDVB I found the included software intuitive and easy to use with most of the popular options in the sub-menus.
One thing badly missing from the old Skystar2 software were DiSEqC options.
I can safely say that DiSEqC works very nicely with options for motor control as well as DiSEqC switching and 22KHz switching.
The only issue I could find with the included application was the fact that it wouldn't accept my lat/lon for USALS, giving the error that the satellite wasn't visible from my location, a quick fix of adding "-" to my latitude had me on my way to moving the dish.
The included remote control has keys for practically everything you'll ever need to control the VisionDTV software comfortably, it also works from quite a distance - I managed to control the SatBox from 20ft away without a problem.

For the novice user the included software is a great starting point with most of the options you'll need to get up and running, if you want the TwinHan StarBox to show what it can really do, you'll need to install a 3rd party app such as MyTheatre.

MyTheatre works perfectly with this receiver, DiSEqC is seamless, channel scanning is fast and reliable and it's as if MyTheatre was written specifically for this box.
The only omission with MT is remote control support for the StarBox, the author should be planning remote control support soon.

With the last USB receiver I reviewed I noticed that after a while the picture would begin to break up which I attributed to the relatively low bandwidth of the USB1 bus.
To test for this again I tuned to CCTV9 on Galaxy3C which is a higher-bitrate channel.
I suffered no skips, no locking up, everything was in sync and worked fluidly with a superb picture quality.
With a theoretic 400mbps (As opposed to 11mbps with USB1) The new USB2 standard allows more data from channels such as CCTV9 to flow over the USB bus so there's no chance of even coming close to reaching that 400mbs limit, even with HDTV.

Conclusion:

This really is a great little box with superb sensitivity.
Many people would say that a USB receiver won't match a PCI card in terms of speed or features - Twinhan has just proved them wrong, I noticed no difference using the StarBox over the hardware-based Nexus-S.

The picture quality through the included MPEG-2 software decoder is fantastic and looks even better than my Nexus-S does in hardware mode.
Granted, the included software isn't perfect although it is more than adequate for those who simply want to watch TV, the majority of advanced FTA watchers will use MyTheatre, ProgDVB or RitzDVB.

The VisionPlus StarBox is now a permanent part of my setup. If I visit my in-laws where they only receive 2 terrestrial channels, or whether I feel like a being total geek I can still go out into the back yard and watch FTA.

Try doing that with a PCI card.



Many thanks to our Gold sponsor, Sadoun Satellite Sales for providing the review sample.
The TwinHan StarBox is currently on sale for $89 before the Satelliteguys.us discount.