The MAG-250 is a set-top box that works over IP. A compact but powerful device provides a wide range of multimedia services.
Description of IP Set-Top Box
The case of the MAG-250 is small and stylish. The front panel has a USB connector, an infrared receiver for the remote control, and a standby indicator . On the rear panel there is an additional USB, HDMI, Ethernet connector, composite video and audio output, digital audio output and a power connector. Slots are made on the side panels for ventilation of the device.
In addition to the MAG-250, the kit includes:
- RCA audio and video cable;
- remote control;
- two AAA batteries;
- external power supply.
MAG-250: specifications
The device allows you to:
- play high definition video;
- View multicast streams
- create a list of television channels;
- Download a pre-prepared list of channels from the network;
- preview shows
- Get access to Internet services such as YouTube, Picassa, etc .;
- connect external devices via USB, including flash drives, Wi-Fi adapter, keyboard, mouse, etc .;
- play audio and video of various formats;
- viewing photo standards JPEG, PNG, BMP, GIF, RAW;
- decode MPEG2, H264, WMV9, MPEG4P2, VC-1 video streams;
- decode MP3, AC-3, MPEG2-audio, MPA, M4A, WAV, Ogg, AAC standards audio streams;
- convert the video format to a format supported by the TV;
- play media from UPnP servers;
- play media from USB.
Watching video in HD-format is only possible on television receivers with an HDMI connector. In addition, you will need an HDMI cable, which is not included in the set-top box.
Using composite video output does not allow viewing channels in HD format. At the same time, they are displayed in SD quality.
Connector Assignment
The following outputs are located on the rear panel:
- USB 2.0 for connecting a flash drive, Wi-Fi adapter, keyboard, mouse, etc.
- Ethernet for connecting a wired LAN of 100 Mbps.
- HDMI for connecting to a television receiver.
- S / PDIF for connecting to speakers.
- AV - composite video output for connecting to a TV via an RCA cable.
- DC - 5V power connector
Network connection
The next step in the preparation of the MAG-250 is to set up an Internet connection. There are two options:
- direct network connection;
- through the router.
When connecting the MAG-250 through a router, the procedure is as follows.
- Connect the Ethernet network cable to the corresponding connector of the console and the router.
- Connect the HDMI cable to the MAG-250 connector and the TV. If there is no HDMI input, use the AV cable and the composite input of the TV.
- Connect the power source.
- Configure a router.
- Turn on the TV and use the remote control to select the signal source (SOURCE, HDMI or INPUT).
If the MAG-250 is connected via an HDMI cable, select the HDMI source after pressing the INPUT or SOURCE button. If through composite, then on the remote control you need to press AV.
First start-up and preset
When you connect the power cable, a splash screen will appear on the screen. The prefix software is downloaded automatically within 1 minute. After the “Portal loading” window appears, press the SETUP button on the remote control. The portal for the MAG-250 will start downloading. Upon completion, you must press the SETUP button again to call up the settings window. In the "General" section, check the NTP server and configure the MAG-250 in the "Servers" section. In the menu "Video Settings - Video Output Mode" select the mode supported by the TV:
- PAL - for devices with an AV input;
- 720p - for television receivers with HDMI input and support for HD Ready mode;
- 1080i - for devices with an HDMI input and support for Full HD mode.
You can find out what modes the TV supports in its user guide.
In the “Graphic Resolution” menu, set the resolution of the portal shell, the value of which for 16: 9 TV sets, is recommended to be set equal to the maximum possible 1280x720. For the changes to take effect, click the "OK" button and restart the set-top box. After reloading, a login and password may be requested to enter the portal. For the console to work better in the “Advanced Settings - Input Buffer Size” section, it is necessary to set the buffer value to 1000. This will allow preloading of data, which will exclude interruptions in broadcasting when errors occur.
If the set-top box malfunctions, when inappropriate video parameters are selected, the bootloader is used. Its menu allows you to set the resolution of the TV display, video output mode, etc. To enter the menu, you need to turn on the power while holding down the power button while holding the power button. Exit occurs through the menu item "Exit and save" or "Exit and do not save."
Channel setup
The next question MAG-250 users are asked is how to add a playlist? To do this, save the m3u file to a flash drive and insert the latter into the USB port. Go to the viewing form on the USB drive and select a playlist. After the offer to save it in UTF-8 format, confirm by pressing the OK button. Add playlist completed.
It is also possible to add a list of TV channels by specifying a direct link to it. To do this, go to the "TV channels" section, press the "Menu" button, press the → key and select the "Download Playlist" section. After the offer to enter the link, press the KB button on the remote control and use the auxiliary keyboard to register the link.
Watching TV Shows
To quickly and conveniently search for channels and switch between them, you should use the “TV Channel Menu”, called up by pressing “OK” on the remote control in viewing mode or the MENU button and selecting the “Television” section.
The menu of TV channels consists of the following main elements:
- the top line shows the current user, list page, day of the week, date and time;
- categories of channels, past, current and upcoming programs;
- time indicator of the current program;
- active control buttons.
Remote control navigation buttons allow you to navigate through the list of groups or channels. "Paging" allows you to go to the next page of the list. When watching TV shows, the ↑ and ↓ buttons allow you to switch the TV channels of the selected category. When you turn on the channel and when calling for help by pressing the "INFO" key on the remote control, a form with information about its name, current program, day of the week, time and purpose of context buttons is displayed at the bottom of the screen. The Back button allows you to return to the previous channel. The list of channels is numbered, so you can make a choice by dialing a serial number.
Set Reminder
You can set a reminder for the program or movie that you want to watch. When it is time to start transmitting, the MAG-250 will offer you to switch to the specified channel.
To do this, follow these steps:
- select a channel in the menu and go to the list of nearest shows;
- Using the navigation keys on the remote control, select the program of interest;
- set the reminder with the "OK" button.
A mark appears on the program. To cancel, click "OK" again. The list of reminders can always be viewed by pressing the blue button on the remote control.
If the channel has several audio tracks, then you can switch between them with the yellow button on the remote control.
To select the video format mode, press the green button on the remote control one after another.
Create profiles and categories
Press MENU and go to the “Favorites” menu, which contains such functions:
- Manage Favorites to create channel categories and change their lists.
- "Manage profiles" to create profiles and configure them for each user, assign profiles available channel categories.
- "Change profile" to change the active profile.
If more than one set-top box is used, then it is enough to manage profiles and favorites only on one.
View files from a flash drive or external drive MAG-250
Instructions for running video and audio files on a flash memory or external drive. First of all, you need to connect the flash drive to the USB port. Switch the set-top box to the media player mode by calling the service menu with the remote control button. After downloading additional services, a form for viewing files on a USB drive will appear, in which you should select the USBDISK folder. The AV folder contains media server files. The table displays the files of the current directory. On the left, each line contains an icon that symbolizes their type. In order to make it more convenient to work with the form, you can use a USB keyboard. To control the player, you can use the remote control and keyboard. To run a file or enter a folder, select the line by placing the cursor on it and press "OK" on the remote control or "Enter" on the keyboard. You can return to the upper level by going to ". . ” and confirming your choice with the "OK" or "Enter" button. If you need to disconnect the flash memory, then this can be done at any time.
Playing content
To call up positioning forms when viewing or listening to a file, press the navigation buttons on the remote control. The form contains:
- exact position time;
- step value in seconds;
- duration of playing content;
- indicator of the current position.
Each press of the ← and → buttons changes the current position by 1 step, the value of which can be changed with the ↑ and ↓ buttons from 5 to 900 s. The default step is 60 s. The first press of the navigation buttons stops the playback of content to allow the user to change the positioning step. Playback continues from the set time after 1 s.