SmartLabs SML 482 HD Base review: features, specifications, pros and cons

ATTENTION! Recently, Rostelecom no longer supports this set-top box. If you still want something similar, then I advise you to read my selection of Smart consoles here.

Hi all! Today I brought home a new toy SmartLabs SML-482 HD Base. I’ll warn you right away that, unlike the sales articles that you will find on the Internet, I bought the device with my own money - so I’ll try to tell it like it is.

As the operator himself says: this box is a way to try “Interactive TV 2.0”, which works with any home Internet. Even the box has the same phrase written on it. Essentially, this is a TV receiver, but not using a television cable, antenna or dish - the connection is made using the Internet.

You can take this box on the road or travel and watch TV where there is Internet. The only thing that's a little alarming is the price. Initially, when released, the console was expensive - 3990 rubles. Now the price has dropped to 1660 rubles. Considering the crisis, in which, on the contrary, everything is growing, the drop in price can only be explained by one thing - no one needs this thing for nothing, and they also ask for money for it. But let’s not rush to conclusions and test everything ourselves.

Features and Specifications

He sells the box. When you first connect, you are given the opportunity to use the “Your Starter” tariff for a month, and then you have to pay 320 rubles for it. The amount is quite large, considering that it is only 108 channels, but for others it will be enough. If you don’t pay at all, you will only be able to watch 10 channels.

Included with us are:

1. The device itself.
2. Remote controller.
3. Power supply 12V, 1.2A.
4. HDMI cable.
5. Adapter cable TRRS mini-jack - 3xRCA.
6. Ethernet network wire.
7. RCA-SCART.

As you can see, there are quite a lot of wires - there is even a SCART that can be connected to the most ancient TV.

The USB port is only needed to connect external storage devices: flash drives and hard drives. The LAN port only works with routers, so you can’t just plug an Internet cable into it.

And here is the remote control with the logo of our favorite company. The design is somewhat similar to the old LG remote controls.

The processor is not bad and even has two cores and good RAM. But it still lags behind the top modern Smart set-top boxes. Although this set-top box is not exactly Smart, although it has some similar functions.

Comparison table of technical characteristics for some models

Setup and connection

I think there shouldn't be any problems with the connection. It is best to use an HDMI cable, as it will simultaneously transmit sound and video.

If possible, connect the set-top box to the router - to do this, connect one end of the cable to the set-top box, and the other to a free local LAN port on the router.

After this, turn on the device to the network using the power supply. Turn on the TV and select the appropriate output to which the SML 482 is connected using the remote control - find the “Source” or “Input” button.

After turning on, you will be asked to connect to the router; this can be done using a wired connection - select the first option. If you want to connect via Wi-Fi, then select “Wireless Connection”, find your network and enter the password using the remote control.

After this, the system will try to find the update and download it from the Internet. Wait until the procedure is completed.

How to reflash the console

Flashing a TV set-top box can be official or alternative.
Reinstalling the official software (from the Rostelecom website) speeds up the operation of the equipment, improves image quality, but does not add channels to the list of channels available by subscription. To increase the functionality of the set-top box and remove restrictions on free viewing of all channels, an alternative firmware is being created. The provider does not support such software. The user, acting at his own peril and risk, essentially breaks the law by opening free access to closed channels.

The official flashing of the Rostelecom SML 482 HD Base set-top box includes several stages:

• Preparation of equipment and software (PC with Internet connection and LAN cable or USB drive, firmware from the Rostelecom website).
• Resetting settings to factory defaults is done by pressing and holding the OK + POWER buttons on the remote control for 2-5 seconds. After this, you need to enter the numbers 977. Or you can reset the settings through the standard menu (“Reset settings”).
• Downloading official software - from a flash drive (via the menu) or via Multicast. Loading using Multicast is a slightly more complex option, but quite accessible to the average user. After installing the software, the device will automatically reboot and be ready for use.

Considering that Rostelecom does not currently support SML 482 HD Base, alternative receiver firmware is becoming increasingly relevant for users.
But, specifically for this model of TV set-top box, alternative firmware is a rather complicated procedure, accessible only to people versed in technology. Some craftsmen reflash the SML 482 HD Base with firmware from Moyo TV and subsequently use it as a media player. But such flashing will require additional equipment and relevant experience. An amateur who tries to reflash this set-top box in order to gain illegal access to content will simply disable it. Thus, on the one hand, SML 482 HD Base is a good option for owners of TVs with high screen resolution, but without Smart TV. On the other hand, there is no point in purchasing this device for an ordinary user - registering on the Rostelecom website and getting an account (and therefore company support) will not work, and flashing the receiver is extremely problematic.

Main menu and interface

You are immediately asked to choose a movie or series to watch. This requires a purchase or subscription.

The main menu with settings and other sections looks like this.

After some time, a welcome window appears, where you are told about purchasing films and subscribing. A PIN code is required just for making purchases and changing some settings. By default it has one value: 0000.

In settings you can:

• Change output.
• Change screen resolution and display aspect ratio.
• Stretch or shrink the image.
• Test your connection speed if the picture is slow.
• Update the OS - this should be done regularly.
• Run system diagnostics.
• And reconnect to the Internet in the “Network” section, select a wireless or wired connection.

In the “Video rental” section you can buy a filter for every taste.

The price of films varies, but you have the opportunity to buy it temporarily or forever.

You also have to pay for music. There is also “Karaoke” and guess what – it’s also paid.

What you need to get started with the console

After inserting the batteries into the remote control, you need to press the power button.

Upon first activation, the SML 482HD will contact the Rostelecom server in root mode to check for the availability of new firmware, and immediately after that it will be prompted to enter the user's login and password. This data is contained on the card received at the provider's office. Having erased the protective coating with a coin, the login and password are entered using the remote control from the set-top box.

Immediately after verifying the user data, you can start working with the device without setting any parameters.

The SML 482HD set-top box from Rostelecom will be an excellent option for creating a home theater based on it. Thanks to a large number of options, the device is able to provide the user with interactive television exactly the way it should be.

Preparation

If the image on your TV has deteriorated or doubts creep in that digital TV is not working as it should, you should think about updating the software.

It is necessary to prepare for this process. To do this, you will need to download the necessary files and have a computer or laptop.

Firmware for a TV set-top box from Rostelecom is done using a computer with a free Ethernet input.

The set-top box will be connected to it. In addition, you will need a network cable that will connect the set-top box and the computer.

The software you will need is mcast.exe and dualserver (or its equivalent). You need to download the latest firmware files from the company's website. They will be called " bootstrap " and " imageupdate ".

It is not recommended to flash the device using third-party tools if at least one official update has not been installed.

Cadena devices will require a USB flash drive with a capacity of up to 8GB formatted in FAT32. The firmware downloaded from the site will be recorded on it.

Why do you need firmware?

In the domestic market, the most popular devices are from Rostelecom and Cadena. They pick up all free Russian television channels.

Negative factors include the lack of some services. The device itself is a modified foreign set-top box, and unnecessary functionality has been removed.

For those who like to record certain broadcasts, this function is provided. To do this, you need the appropriate firmware version and a memory card with enough capacity to record video.

In the future, the recorded material can be played back using the media player built into the console.

Step-by-step instruction

When you have confidence in performing actions independently, you can begin, following the sequence.

• The settings of the set-top box are reset to factory settings. For this, the “Reset” button is most often used. Otherwise, the work is performed through the menu, where the “Def.Settings” item is selected.
• The work switches to the computer, where after selecting “Run” in the main menu, enter ncpa.cpl and click OK.
• A list of network connections will be displayed, from which you need to select the required item. After this, work continues with the “Properties” section.
• When working with protocol version 4 (TCP/IPv4), in the property parameters, enter IP – 192.168.1.1, and instead of the subnet mask, write 255.255.255.0.
• Having launched the mcast.exe program via WIN + R, click on “Local Area Connection”. On the right side, click the “Select” button.
• The IP address values ​​are entered - stream No. 1: 224.50.0.70:9000 and stream No. 2: 224.50.0.51:9001. Each thread must be running.
• After connecting to the set-top box and starting it, click Upgrade Tools, and then MC Upgrade.

An alternative way to flash the MAG-250 console

The best option for an alternative device update is DNA firmware.

Thanks to it, functions such as:

• TV program from Yandex;
• recording broadcasts to disk;
• autostart of iptv broadcasts from Rostelecom;
• Recovery after the update occurs automatically.

It is important to install the original version before installing alternative firmware. Otherwise, problems often arise with updating the device.

The DNA firmware process itself occurs without the use of a network cable. To work, you will need a flash drive with a capacity of up to 8 GB, formatted in FAT32.

Then, on the USB drive you should create a folder with the name of the device and install the firmware files there: “ Bootstrap ” and “ imageupdate ”. In the future, there are two options for updating the device:

• from the internal portal;
• from BIOS.

In the first case, you need to go into the settings and go to the service menu by pressing the “ SETUP ” button. Selecting “ Update software ”, select the option “ via USB ” and click “ Start update ”. Before starting the process, you will need to click the “ Check ” button.

The program will check for the presence of the necessary files on the flash drive. If all requirements are met, the “ Start ” button will light up.

A common error: “Invalid file header.” In this case, it is recommended to reformat the USB drive to FAT32. In addition, you should check the name of the folder on the flash drive. It must be without spaces, for example, MAG250. If this does not help, then you should use the firmware option from the BIOS.

After connecting a USB drive with files, you need to reboot the device. In this case, you should hold down the “ Menu ” button. After the menu appears, select “ Upgrade Tools ”, then go to “ USB Bootstrap ”.

If everything is in order with the information on the flash drive, the process of updating the software version will begin. The successful completion of the installation will be indicated by the message: “ Writing image to flash successfull ”.

Then, the device will reboot and will start with the new firmware.

What gives?

In addition to the fact that firmware provides certain benefits, each user may face some risks. The most popular among the available models is IPTV RT-STB-HD Standart. In terms of functionality, it resembles the MAG-250. In this case, the subscriber is given the opportunity to return to the original settings. To do this, you need to get an answer on how to flash the Rostelecom set-top box. It is worth noting that you should use standard firmware from Infomir, as well as slightly modified ones. As practice shows, it is best to initially work with the standard one, only after that, if necessary, use the modified one.

It is immediately worth highlighting some of the advantages that the subscriber acquires when performing such manipulations:

• Supports DLNA as well as Wi-Fi.
• Watching television channels without any restrictions from the provider at the set tariff.

But we must not forget that in any case negative qualities will also appear. Here they are:

• Interactive services of Rostelecom will stop working. To operate them, you should use only original software.

That's where the cons end. There will be no more difficulties for the user.

Preparatory activities

In order to learn how to flash a Rostelecom set-top box, you should complete some preparatory steps. Almost always and every subscriber should be able to complete the flashing process. There are no difficulties in this. To perform the action you must:

1. A computer with a wire used to connect a set-top box.
2. The software itself. This could be mcast.exe, as well as a dhcp server.

All files must be in one folder and placed on drive C. Then the fun begins.

Will it be possible to watch IPTV on TV without a set-top box?

Recently, Rostelecom has been developing the Wink service, which allows you to watch digital television from computers, mobile devices and on TVs with Smart TV, Android TV or Apple TV. To access, you need to install the Wink application and enter authorization data for an account with a paid subscription.

However, when concluding a contract, you cannot ignore the need to purchase equipment. After all, the service is activated only if the client purchases or leases the device.