Thread: Review: Sonicview SV-HD8000

Originally Posted by zamar23

Its nice to have dummy UI options to encourage buyers

The UI options were first noticed after the purchase and were taken as a better sign than if they were not there but never thought to be ipso facto.

Originally Posted by zamar23

Keep in mind however, 8psk modulation is often opted for by broadcasters using
DVB-S2

signal broadcast standard, but it is not a part of that standard, and can be used to broadcast DVB-S compliant signals as well. In fact, its widely used to broadcast DVB-S signals, while using some variants of FEC Error Correction algorithms, like Turbo FEC.

That is why I continue to doubt the S2 until it is tested with a dish that gets at least 12140. I just decided that at $70 Cdn it was worth a go for LBS and might circumvent the cost of a new dish. Another option - Bell - costs more than that a month without Al Jazeera or Russia Today. A new dish costing much more than the card is already in the works.

Originally Posted by zamar23

Anyone can suggest, what stations accessible from NA currently broadcast in DVB-S 8psk? Also, what one can possibly do to GoSatellite website, if Sonicview site for example claims for the STB to support DiSEqC 1.1, while it does not so far? Having said that, reports suggest this box performs very well in a majority of tasks it was designed for.

I will consider my options if it proves to be a product that does not deliver as the firmware implies.



All for all as my only source of television beyond really poor reception of CBC this FTA thing is working out quite well.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Originally Posted by skipticum

LPB is broadcasting in dvb-s2 8psk format (and so others like NBC at 103.0 W), and jwwbrennan may be out of luck here. Nevertheless, it is still intersting to see the result of his testing. You never know!

I personally wish Sonicview gets busted by Dish for the IKS side of its business, and hopefully, if that ever happens, force them to pay more attention to the TRUE fta side of the business (like providing support for dvb-s2, 8psk, 4:2:2).

Hopefully, jwwbrennan will find some courage to open the STB's cover and look at models of his A-1 board soldered chips. I suspect however, it contains only a demod chip, but no tuner chip, meaning that heavy lifting of signal tuning is still trusted to SV 8000HD DVB-S NIM tuner, soldered on the STB's main board. Replacing that tuner for an end user is not an easy task to handle, and adding S2 blindscan routing will hardly be appreciated by the STB's processor and RAM. One would probably need to look at newer SV model hopefully now in the works to handle the tasks. This receiver is near end of its model life, give it a break guys. But who knows - may be DVB-S2 add-on board for it is currently in the works as its firmware suggests, since Broadcom offers DVB-S2 receiver-on-chip models as well.

Broadcom BCM4500KQM - it don't do S2. Sonicview is all its detractors say it is.

Oh...I feel dirty just touching it .

Ah well; Sonicview is but a pothole on the road to FTA. I still get great PBS.

Pssst, wanna buy a 8PSK? Just kidding.

In fact, your 8psk module might not be that bad, if you think again about it. At least you can watch clear HDTheater channel and similar clear 8psk Turbo channels, as others reported.

I have owned a Sonicview SV-HD8000 for about eighteen months. During that time I have found it difficult to locate any accurate information about the unit and its capabilities. I would like to share two observations and my opinion.

1. Sonicview SV-HD8000 is incapable of correctly processing a simple 4:2:2 satellite signal resulting in no television signal.

2. Sonicview SV-HD8000 + Sonicview 8000 HD 8PSK Module Board V2 is incapable of correctly processing a simple S2 satellite signal resulting in no television signal.

3. If a dealer recommends this product to you, I recommend a different dealer. Any dealer with a basic knowledge of FTA should know the Broadcom BCM4500KQM chip used in this product is incapable of processing S2.

As the owner of both Sonicview products there is nothing I would enjoy more than being proven incorrect in my statements. Please reply or send a PM if you can demonstrate that I am incorrect.

While generally encouraging you to continue posting your findings, may I suggest you to look objectively at them:

1. At this time there are just a few STBs on the market capable to process sat TV signals with 4:2:2 color space and adherent to DVB-S2 standard. These things are not "simple" as you put it, but in fact quite complicated to deal with, requiring next gen equipment;

2. Non of the things you mentioned was ever advertised by the STB manufacturer in its spec., which is posted on
Sonicview

site and is very easy to locate (not "very difficult"). Consumers are expected to educate themselves and research product specs before making informed buying decision.

3. While most sat dealers know nothing about chipsets used in STBs, if you were to ask, any Sonicview approved dealer would tell you, 8psk add on boards for SV 8000HD will NOT help receiving DVB-S2 signals, because this STB, to put it simple, doesn't have hardware required for it.

Actually, it doesn't make sense to blame an STB for not doing something that is not listed in its official spec. Likewise, no 8spk add-on board's ad ever claimed it will allow to receive DVB-S2 or 4:2:2 signals. Sonicview never recommended to use 8psk add-on boards, but if one googles "A1 8psk module" before buying it, plenty of info can be found.

Originally Posted by jwwbrennan

I have owned a Sonicview SV-HD8000 for about eighteen months. During that time I have found it difficult to locate any accurate information about the unit and its capabilities. I would like to share two observations and my opinion.

1. Sonicview SV-HD8000 is incapable of correctly processing a simple 4:2:2 satellite signal resulting in no television signal.

2. Sonicview SV-HD8000 + Sonicview 8000 HD 8PSK Module Board V2 is incapable of correctly processing a simple S2 satellite signal resulting in no television signal.

3. If a dealer recommends this product to you, I recommend a different dealer. Any dealer with a basic knowledge of FTA should know the Broadcom BCM4500KQM chip used in this product is incapable of processing S2.

As the owner of both Sonicview products there is nothing I would enjoy more than being proven incorrect in my statements. Please reply or send a PM if you can demonstrate that I am incorrect.

I bought mine recently (with a manufaturing date of March 2009). I noticed several annoying bugs, most of them already reported by others, but the most annoying one to me is the intermitted interruption in video and sound (very brief though)(even when using the supposedly better 4.43 file). The 4.43 file was at one time posted at the official sonicview website, but now replaced by (the worst) 2.50 file.

jwwbrennan have you encountered this video/audio problem, and what software version are currently using (4.43 or 2.50)?

skipticum: I am running 4.43 but have run them all. I have never had interruptions in video although audio has had intermittent moments when sent out through fiber. After trying an earlier collection of bugs and errors released as 2.?? I tried 2.50 only briefly. It demonstrated no immediate advantages so rather than discovering the bugs while actually trying to watch the news or Nova I just switched back. I would be truly irate if it could not perform the most basic function. Do you have access to another receiver to eliminate the possibility of a problem further up the line?

There is no video and/or audio interruption on any CLEAR VIDEO channels, when using recent releases of SV 8000HD firmware.