TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual

Table of Contents

Quick Links

Introducing: The TerraTec Home Cinema .............................................................................. 2

Installation ............................................................................................................................. 3

Launching the software for the first time ................................................................................ 5

Design and controls ..............................................................................................................15

The on-screen display ..........................................................................................................21

The info bar ......................................................................................................................... 22

Picture-in-Picture (PiP) ........................................................................................................ 24

EPG-the electronic program guide .................................................................................... 25

Recordings .......................................................................................................................... 32

Timeshifting ......................................................................................................................... 44

Playback.............................................................................................................................. 45

Teletext ............................................................................................................................... 47

The settings ......................................................................................................................... 49

Context menus .................................................................................................................... 73

Key assignments ................................................................................................................. 75

General ............................................................................................................................... 75

Annex .................................................................................................................................. 78

Legend:

This symbol indicates useful information or instructions for the

functions of the TerraTec Home Cinema.

This symbol indicates functions that are included with the

TerraTec Home Cinema, but not with the

TerraTec Home Cinema Basic. You can enable these functions with a

serial number, which you can purchase at our Webshop on our

website.

Page 1

Version 6

Table of Contents

Summary of Contents for TerraTec Home Cinema

Page 1: Table Of Contents
TerraTec Home Cinema. This symbol indicates functions that are included with the TerraTec Home Cinema, but not with the TerraTec Home Cinema Basic. You can enable these functions with a serial number, which you can purchase at our Webshop on our website.
Page 2: Introducing: The Terratec Home Cinema
Version 6 Introducing: The TerraTec Home Cinema The TerraTec Home Cinema is your analogue and digital TV control centre. The full range of functions and features of your new TV hardware—station selection, timeshifting, recording and teletext—are united in the TerraTec Home Cinema.
Page 3: Installation
If you are using the Basic version, and wish to use the advanced features of the TerraTec Home Cinema software, you will have to enter or confirm a serial number. To do so, tick the option for "I want to add or review serial numbers".
Page 4 In the next step, enter your serial number and then click "Add". Here, in the list of installed packages, the data for your package are displayed. When finished, click "Finish". You can expand the range of features of the TerraTec Home Cinema Basic with upgrades that can be purchased at the TerraTec Webshop.
Page 5: Launching The Software For The First Time
Version 6 Launching the software for the first time The TerraTec Home Cinema configuration menu will open automatically when launching the software for the first time. The basic settings, which are described in detail below, can be configured here. First, you should carry out the following steps: 1.
Page 6 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 DVB-T scan Scan mode: Scan by region Region – Select your reception region from the list. If you cannot find it, simply select "All". Scan intensity – Some countries, such as France, broadcast stations slightly off of the standardised frequencies.
Page 7 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 DVB-S scan Scan mode: Scan by satellite Satellite – Select the satellite to which you have set your dish. DiSEqC 1.0 – DiSEqC is used to control satellite systems that receive data (TV) from more than one satellite.
Page 8 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Information on satellite programs and their parameters can be found at a number of sources, including: http://www.lyngsat.com DVB-C scan Scan mode: Scan by region Region – Select your reception region from the list. If you cannot find it, simply select "All".
Page 9 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Analogue scan Scan mode: Scan by region Region – Select your reception region from the list. If you cannot find it, simply select "All". Scan mode: Scan by frequency band or single frequency...
Page 10 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Station list import Furthermore, you have two options for importing existing station lists. To access these, click the following in the selection menu for the scan mode: Import stations from file This allows you to import a station list from a previous channel scan.
Page 11 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 2. Create a Favourites list! The left side of the station management tab contains a list of all of the stations found during one or more scans. The list can be filtered according to reception types, filters (whether the stations are free or encrypted) or whether they are TV or radio broadcasts.
Page 12 Use the buttons to remove one or more stations from the Favourites list. Special Favourites lists (only with TerraTec Home Cinema) In addition to the standard Favourites lists for radio and TV, you can also create your own special Favourites lists.
Page 13 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 These Favourites lists can perform a variety of functions, for example sorting stations according to DVB-T coverage areas, transmission standards (e.g. analogue/DVB-T/DVB-S) or genres such as sports, movies or news. To add a station to a special Favourites list, select the station and then click one of the coloured buttons .
Page 14 3. Define the storage location for recordings! In the Settings of the TerraTec Home Cinema, you have the option of changing the default storage location for your recordings. To do so, click the button with the small file symbol next to the "Store recordings in"...
Page 15: Design And Controls
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Design and controls The software essentially consists of the TV window and the user interface. TV window User interface The user interface contains: • Display – a context-sensitive display for additional information •...
Page 16 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 TerraTec Home Cinema functions can be accessed in a number of ways. The following options are always available: • The buttons of the user interface • Infrared remote (if available) • On-screen display (OSD) •...
Page 17: Radio Mode
The display will be empty if there are no recordings in the folder. Note that the TerraTec Home Cinema is not a replacement for a general media player, as it can only play back recordings that have been created using this application.
Page 18 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Subtitle (TV mode only) Clicking this button immediately adds subtitles (as long as the station offers them). Display functions (all modes) The TV button closes the TV window. Click the button again to reopen the window.
Page 19 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Navigation functions (all modes) Use the recording navigation buttons to control the timeshifting, recording and playback functions of the Software. Timeshifting, recording and playback are covered in separate chapters, so this is only an overview of the individual buttons: Transport functions that are in italics are enabled during manual timeshifting.
Page 20: Audio Functions
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Audio functions (all modes) Use the audio functions to select the audio channel and audio format, adjust the volume or mute audio output. Some stations broadcast in several languages and/or audio formats. Depending on the recording settings, the selected audio channel will also be used for recording.
Page 21: The On-Screen Display
TV. Here you can access the settings for a connected CI module. Use this to quit TerraTec Home Cinema or shut down the computer. Page 21...
Page 22: The Info Bar
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 The info bar To show the info bar, you can press either the "i" key on your keyboard or the button on the user interface. The info bar provides you with a lot of interesting information.
Page 23 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 To access EPG information for the current program, press the "i" key on your keyboard or the button again. This provides you—similar to a TV magazine—a short description and other key information about the program.
Page 24: Picture-In-Picture (Pip)
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Picture-in-Picture (PiP) The picture-in-picture function allows you to follow the action on two different stations simultaneously. With it, you can keep an eye on the elections, for example, while watching sports on another channel.
Page 25: Epg-The Electronic Program Guide
In addition to the EPG views shown above which are common to digital home entertainment devices, TerraTec Home Cinema also offers an EPG search function—a powerful tool to help you find your way through the data jungle. To access the EPG search, use the TV/Radio context menu or press SHIFT + For a detailed description of the EPG search function, please see Search.
Page 26 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 EPG - Channel The header displays the channel name, day of the week and date; below that, it lists the programs according to time. You can navigate through the list by days using the cursor keys .
Page 27 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 EPG - Current The left column of this view displays all channels in the selected Favourites list, the middle column shows the currently running program, and the right column shows the next program.
Page 28 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 EPG - Favourites The "EPG - Favourites" view shows you a list of programming, sorted by time, of all channels of the selected Favourites list. Using the cursor keys, you can navigate through the list by hour; you can navigate through it by day using the "PgUp"...
Page 29 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Search The EPG search function lets you search the available EPG data for specific keywords. Keyword search The keyword search lets you search for individual keywords and narrow your searches by using keyword groups and excluding individual words.
Page 30 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Advanced search The advanced search view is designed for users that might not be so familiar with Google or other search engines. Switching to the advanced view shows the keywords in their respective categories.
Page 31 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Hitlist A preview image is available in the detailed information for programs marked with a *. Record (selected) – Adds all of the selected hitlist entries to the list of scheduled recordings. Do not record (selected) – Clears your selections.
Page 32: Recordings
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Recordings TerraTec Home Cinema lets you archive TV and radio programs for posterity. The following recording options are available: Direct recording Timer-controlled recording: EPG-programmed Timer-controlled recording: manually programmed Timer-controlled recording: programming via tvtv If conflicts occur when programming recordings, they are indicated immediately via direct OSD display and by a flashing timer icon on the user interface.
Page 33 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Direct recording Press the record button to record the current program of the selected station. On the user interface display, the channel name appears, and the mode indicator turns red. Instead of the current time, the record time and the recording symbol are displayed.
Page 34 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Timer-controlled recording—EPG-programmed To program a timer-controlled recording from the EPG, click the EPG button and select the program in the EPG list: Click Timer to program the show. The timer menu now opens.
Page 35 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 You can also set up your PC to perform a specific action any time a recording is complete. For further information, see Settings - Recording. Page 35...
Page 36 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Timer-controlled recording—manually programmed To program a recording manually, open the Scheduled recordings OSD page. …then click New. Select the desired station and click OK on the user interface or press the Enter key on your keyboard.
Page 37 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Select the desired recording mode. Selecting the user-defined option lets you select the days on which the recordings should take place (the keys 1-7 may be used instead of the mouse) and confirm your selection by pressing OK on the user interface, or by pressing Enter on your keyboard.
Page 38 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 No action Nothing happens after the recording completes. Close application The application exits after the recording completes. Hibernate The PC goes into hibernation mode after the recording completes. Standby The PC goes into standby mode after the recording completes.
Page 39 Note that your username must be at least 5 characters in length so that you can use the service in the TerraTec Home Cinema software. Once you are logged in, simply program away. For detailed information on tvtv settings in TerraTec Home Cinema, see tvtv service.
Page 40 Version 6 Timer conflicts When planning recordings with the TerraTec Home Cinema, you may find that scheduled programs overlap, preventing the recording of the complete programs. This can occur when programming two shows on different stations but with the same start time, or when the pre/post recording times of the shows overlap.
Page 41 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 a prompt opens automatically, which displays one or more existing timer conflicts between scheduled recordings and provides the data for your scheduled recordings. Use the selection keys to keep one of the recordings, or to ignore the overlap and resolve the problem at a later time.
Page 42 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Overlap of recordings due to pre/post recording times If you program two shows on different stations with overlapping pre/post recording times, the "Edit timer" OSD page opens automatically Page 42...
Page 43 To prevent future overlaps between the pre/post recording times, you can adjust these times in the Recording preferences in the TerraTec Home Cinema application… ...or you can use an additional TerraTec TV tuner card to avoid the problem in future. Page 43...
Page 44: Timeshifting
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Timeshifting Timeshifting is a truly remarkable function. It lets you interrupt programs whenever you like and continue watching them later from where you left off. The program is cached on the hard drive in the mean time.
Page 45: Playback
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Playback Naturally, you can also watch your recorded TV programs in TerraTec Home Cinema. The easiest way to get to the Recordings mode is via the on-screen display. Select the menu item Recordings.
Page 46 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 You can also delete recordings (caution—you will not be prompted whether you really want to delete them!) or edit them using Cut!. The "Export" option appears at the bottom of the window whenever you select an MPEG-TS recording. The recording will be converted into MPEG-PS format when you export it.
Page 47: Teletext
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Teletext Modern media technology like the Internet made a widespread service offered by TV broadcasting establishments somewhat forgotten in recent years: teletext. Press the Teletext button once to display the teletext page of the current station in the TV window.
Page 48 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Example 2 c) Teletext in a dedicated window Teletext can also be displayed in its own window. This can be controlled using the context menu or the CTRL+T key combination. For those who are especially interested in Videotext, here is a little tip: You can also select interesting lines of text by pressing the mouse button.
Page 49: The Settings
Version 6 The settings calls up the settings window. The advanced configuration options of the TerraTec Home Cinema can be found here: Options Select the TerraTec TV card you would like to use here. Select the language of the user interface and control the appearance of the User interface OSD here.
Page 50 Version 6 Options Installed devices A broad range of TerraTec TV products are supported. Select your devices here. If you do not want to use a device, simply untick its list entry. Miscellaneous Priority - Set here the priority Windows should give the application. By setting a lower value here, Windows will give more CPU resources to other applications.
Page 51 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 User interface Regional settings Program language – Select the language for the program's user interface here. Preferred language – Select the default language for TV playback and subtitles here. Alternative language – Select a second choice for TV playback and subtitles for cases in which the preferred language is not available.
Page 52 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Display duration: status messages – Define how long the status messages are to be displayed at the top of the screen. Display duration: status list – Define how long the station list is to be displayed on the right of the screen.
Page 53 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Record General Store recordings in – The files created by the various recording functions are stored in the Record folder. Pre/post recording time – Set the time by which recordings start before and stop after the programmed times.
Page 54 Version 6 Default action after timer recordings – Select one of the following actions to be performed after a timer recording: No action After recording has finished, TerraTec Home Cinema continues normally. Close application Exits the application after the recording. Standby Puts the computer in standby mode.
Page 55 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Still image Still-image settings Naturally, TV software is designed for viewing moving pictures, but you may nevertheless have reason to save a still image from time to time. You may wish to take a screenshot and use it as a background image for DVD authoring, for example.
Page 56 Video decoder – Here, you should select the CyberLink Video/SP Decoder (TerraTec). Audio decoder – The default setting for the audio decoder should be the CyberLink Audio Decoder (TerraTec).
Page 57 Unattractive black areas can appear along the edges of the TV image. These do not appear on regular TV sets, which use what is known as overscan. This zooms in on the picture slightly, cutting off the edges. This option allows you to reproduce this effect in TerraTec Home Cinema and adjust the ratio. Page 57...
Page 58 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Scan The station scan Device – Select the device for which to perform a station scan. This is only necessary once for each standard (e.g. DVB-T). If you have installed multiple devices that use the same standard, the found stations will be available for all of those devices, of course.
Page 59 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Scan mode: Scan by frequency band or single frequency Scan one frequency band Scan single frequency Frequency (kHz) – Specialists will appreciate the ability to select an individual frequency or frequency band and its step size for scanning.
Page 60 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Scan mode: Scan by frequency band or single frequency Scan one frequency band Scan single frequency Frequency (kHz) – Specialists will appreciate the ability to select an individual frequency or frequency band and its step size for scanning.
Page 61 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Frequency (kHz) – Specialists will appreciate the ability to select an individual frequency or frequency band and its step size for scanning. Symbol rate (KS) – The symbol rate is the specified data transmission speed. It must be specified when scanning a frequency band or individual frequency.
Page 62 This allows you to import a station list from a previous channel scan. This is recommended if you have to reinstall TerraTec Home Cinema. It also allows you to use a sender list created by someone you know in our neighbourhood, sparing you the time it takes to run a scan.
Page 63 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Stations Station management The left side of the station management tab contains a list of all of the stations found during one or more scans. The list can be filtered according to reception types, filters (whether the stations are free or encrypted) or whether they are TV or radio broadcasts.
Page 64 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Setting up Favourites lists To sort stations according to your preferences, select them and move them up or down the list with the buttons. Use the buttons to remove one or more stations from the Favourites list.
Page 65 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Network On the Online media tab of the OSD, you can, among other things, access the "myNoxon" portal. To use this service, you can register free of charge at http://my-noxon.de. Then, once you enter your user data here, you have immediate access to a great variety of online content.
Page 66 Note that your username must be at least 5 characters in length so that you can use the service in the TerraTec Home Cinema software. Proxy settings The proxy settings are only required if you connect to the Internet via a proxy server. For the correct settings, either check your default web browser or contact your system administrator.
Page 67 EPG – Starts a manual download of the tvtv EPG data. Stations – Compares the list of stations found by TerraTec Home Cinema with those of tvtv. It may inform you that stations cannot be associated correctly. To correct the problem, use the Channel Editor located under the Tools menu of the TerraTec Home Cinema.
Page 68 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Advanced The advanced settings give you the ability to change additional preferences. Please note, however, that the preset default values for advanced settings generally function perfectly well. We recommend making changes only if you are sure of their results, or if our technical support suggests doing so.
Page 69 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Area for mouse-sensitive OSD Portion of the video window (as a percentage) in which the mouse pointer triggers the mouse- sensitive OSD (such as Favourites lists in TV mode). Delay for displaying mouse-sensitive OSD Indicates the delay before the mouse-sensitive OSD is displayed.
Page 70 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 hibernation. Interval for verifying scheduled recordings Indicates the interval for verifying scheduled recordings. Allow AVI recordings Enables/disables AVI as a recording format. Set time stamp for AVI recordings Places a time stamp on the video image for AVI recordings.
Page 71 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Common Interface Disable CAM messages Enables/disables CAM messages. Network Telnet Enables/disables Telnet for network streaming. Multicast Enables/disables multicast for network streaming. Multicast IP Specifies the IP for the multicast. Multicast port Specifies the port for the multicast.
Page 72 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 About This tab contains a wide range of information about your system and TerraTec Home Cinema. This information is especially useful any time you need to contact TerraTec Support. Page 72...
Page 73: Context Menus
Version 6 Context menus Context menus frequently make access to specific functions easier. TerraTec Home Cinema also has a number of special functions that are only available in the context menus. To open the context menu, right-click in the TV window.
Page 74 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 b) Context menu: Recording c) Context menu: Teletext Page 74...
Page 75: Key Assignments
TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Key assignments General General key assignments Function Station selection M / * (NUM) Mute + / - Volume up/down CTRL + X Closes the TV window (not the application) CTRL + I Displays signal information...
Page 76 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Function Displays/hides teletext Pos. 1 / Home Selects the teletext home page (page 100). Page number + 1 Page number – 1 Next subpage Previous subpage Backspace Back to the previously viewed page...
Page 77 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Navigation functions Navigation function key assignments Space PAUSE Shift + L Shift + N Page 77...
Page 78: Annex
Annex Setting up the antenna TerraTec Home Cinema can display the quality and current strength of the signal. This is especially useful if your video and audio reception is choppy, making it necessary to adjust the antenna. Press CTRL+I to open an OSD information window showing the current signal strength and quality.
Page 79 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Glossary Advanced Audio Coding is an audio compression format that was specified as a further development of the MPEG-2 standard. AC-3 This is a designation for a multichannel audio system better known as Dolby Digital.
Page 80 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 HDTV High-definition television. The higher resolution results in better picture quality. MPEG The Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) is responsible for the standardisation of audio and video compression, as well as related areas such as container formats. A variety of formats are available that can serve as recording formats with the appropriate codec.
Page 81 Cut! is an editing tool that lets you remove unnecessary ballast from your video recordings. The files are not re-encoded, but simply cut to avoid quality losses. Cut! can be found in the TerraTec Home Cinema program folder. For a detailed description of Cut!, please see the program itself.
Page 82 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 tvtv tvtv is available in the following countries: Germany www.tvtv.de France www.tvtv.fr www.tvtv.co.uk United Kingdom Italy www.tvtv.it www.tvtv.nl Netherlands Austria www.tvtv.at Switzerland www.tvtv.ch Spain www.tvtv.es An account is required in order to use tvtv. If you did not create a tvtv account during installation, you may also do so at a later time.
Page 83 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 The Boss key The Boss key is a well-hidden but vital function—especially for major football games—that lurks in the background, ready to do your bidding at moment's notice. Suppose you're sitting in the office watching an exciting game, when suddenly the boss walks in? We should know—after all, we don't want our boss to catch us watching TV, either!
Page 84 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Power options—standby, hibernate Windows lets you save energy by putting your PC into standby mode or hibernation. THC can still perform programmed recordings even when your PC is in a power-saving mode. We recommend hibernation mode, as it uses the least power. Although Windows reloads more quickly from standby mode, the computer's RAM remains powered up in standby.
Page 85 Answer: Please note that the tvtv and TerraTec Home Cinema station tables must be matched prior to job queries. For further information, see tvtv configuration. Question: I have several TV tuners in my system. Can I set up TerraTec Home Cinema to use a specific one? Answer: You can set up TerraTec Home Cinema not to use a certain TV tuner.
Page 86 TerraTec Home Cinema User Manual Version 6 Link-O-Rama The following is a number of interesting links to programs that can simplify your day-to-day handling of TV programs and recorded material. A popular MPEG-4 codec DivX http://www.divx.com/ Dr. DivX A tool that converts your recordings into DivX format...