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OPPO BDP-103 Blu-ray Player Review
The latest OPPO player is here! Here is my review.
First impressions
The player is rather heavy and feels very solid. I do like its clean style and its brushed aluminum finish. Doesn't look cheap at all (after spending $499, I wouldn't expect anything less
). The player came enclosed in the OPPO signature bag and with a stylish black box for cables and remote. Nice touch! Also included in the box were: a heavy-duty high speed HDMI cable (with Ethernet support), a Wireless-N dongle, and a USB extender.
Picture quality
The Blu-ray picture on this player looks absolutely spectacular! Of course the same can be said about any high-quality Blu-ray player out there. However, what sets this one apart is how well it handles video noise reduction and upconversion. The latest Marvell Qdeo chip does excellent job in removing video noise and improving the picture quality. This is especially noticeable on DVDs in dark low-contrast scenes.
Dual HDMI outputs
The player features two HDMI output ports. You can display the image on two HD displays simultaneously or you can use one HDMI output for video and the other one for audio ("Split A/V" mode). This is especially convenient if your display is 3D-capable (HDMI 1.4 compliant), but your audio system is HDMI 1.3 and cannot pass the 1.4 signal.
However, the two HDMI outputs are not created equal. The new Marvell Qdeo processing is only utilized on HDMI 1, so that's the preferred output for video. Keep in mind that HDMI 1 is the one on the right, and HDMI 2 is the one on the left. Somewhat confusing!
I did some side-by-side comparison of the two outputs (using a split-screen setup from two Epson 8350 projectors) and I do see significant difference between the two, particularly for DVD content. On the other hand, if your audio system can decode DSD (SACD Direct Stream Digital) and you prefer that over LPCM, then keep in mind that DSD output is only available from HDMI 2. I also noticed that HDMI 2 port creates some trouble for my projector when switching from one HDMI resolution to another, though quite possibly that can be corrected with a firmware update.
HDMI inputs
Are you running out of HDMI inputs in your A/V system? You are not alone! This player however can offer some help, as it has two HDMI inputs: one in the back and one in the front. Not only this can save you some money on buying an HDMI switch, but more importantly this will allow you to take full advantage of the Marvell Qdeo image processing for other video sources. In addition, the front HDMI input has MHL support (can charge some mobile devices).
Internet streaming
The player supports Internet streaming directly. It has built-in apps for Netflix, VUDU, Film Fresh, YouTube, Pandora and Picasa. I haven't tried them all yet, but according to OPPO's website, both NetFlix and VUDU streaming can handle 1080p and multi-channel audio (5.1 and 7.1 respectively).
Need more apps? The player supports the new Roku Stick ($99) via its front MHL-compatible HDMI port. (Though personally, I would rather buy a standalone Roku player.)
External media playback
In addition to playing disks, the BDP-103 can play external media from flash drives and external hard drives (connected via one of its three USB 2.0 ports), as well as play files over the network (via its Ethernet port or via included wireless-N adapter). Not only it can play via DLNA, as both Digital Media Player (DMP) and Digital Media Renderer (DMR), but it even can play files directly from a network share (SMB playback) without requiring any DLNA server! And as always, OPPO supports all kinds of data formats: MP4, AVI, MKV, and many-many more! (I only tried a few and they all played without any problems.) There is no eSATA or USB3 support, but I don't think this is a big problem, especially with the SMB support over Ethernet.
3D
The BDP-103 is a 3D Blu-ray player. Unfortunately the front projector in my Home Theater is not 3D, so to try it out with some 3D material I hooked up the player to a 47" LG LED set in the living room and gave it try. I played some scenes from Avatar and Prometheus. All looked fantastic! Out of curiosity I did some A/B comparison with an LG player and the 3D image produced by the BDP-103 looked somewhat better, more natural, compared to the LG player, though honestly I didn't have a chance to do enough comparison to state anything conclusive.
Multi-system support
If you have DVDs from other countries, you will truly appreciate the player's multi-system capabilities. It can play DVDs recorded in PAL and either output the native PAL signal directly or up-convert it all the way to 1080p. In addition, with a simple "SuperDisk" software mod you can make this player region-free (for DVD). I tried it and it works like a charm!
SACD and DVD-A audio
The BDP-103 is not only an excellent video player, but it's a great audio player too. Of particular interest to me, is its capability to play SACD and DVD-A formats. In fact, this was one of my main reasons to look into OPPO in the first place: not too many Blu-ray players offer this capability.
Limitations
Not entirely OPPO's fault, but the BDP-103 does have some limitations compared to its predecessors, mostly caused by the latest industry requirements. Completely gone are the analog video ports (there is one composite video output in the back, but it's for diagnostics purposes only). The player fully implements Cinavia copy-protection, which is now mandatory for all Blu-ray players. It means that some (presently only few) movies ripped from BDs may refuse to play. It cannot play ISO files directly, though reportedly there is currently a workaround: you can mount and play them via SMB (I haven't tried that though).
Other features
This player can up-scale to 4K! Wow! That sounds intriguing! But that's probably the most useless feature for me at present, since it will likely be years before I can afford a 4K display and when I finally get one, I am sure it will have built-in up-scaling too. Having said that, I am glad the player can do 4K. It makes me feel better about investing in this player: it won't get obsolete too soon.
This player is very quiet! Not only its transport is very quiet, but it's new fan-less design completely eliminates any fan noise.
Very quick response to the remote, quick disk load. Nice backlit remote!
If you have an older surround system that doesn't have HDMI, you will be happy to know that the player does offer 7.1 multi-channel analog audio outputs. Though if you are a true old-school audiophile who wants to stay in the analog domain as much as possible, then you may want to wait for the upcoming BDP-105 model ($1,199.00), which is supposed to have much better DACs. For the rest of us, the BDP-103 will do just fine!
Conclusion
So far I am very happy with this player! OPPO makes some of the best and the most feature-rich players out there and this latest model is no disappointment. This player produces an excellent HD image, while keeping it accurate, without doing any artificial "enhancements" and its up-scaling capabilities are superb.
The only question is whether the $499 price tag is justifiable. In my opinion, if you are just looking for a good Blu-ray player and you don't really need all other features that this OPPO BDP-103 offers, then you can save some money and a get a decent player for a fraction of that price. The Blu-ray playback on many players is so good these days that it will be hard for most people to tell the difference. However, if you want to have a top-quality universal player, that can do a great job playing various formats, if you have a large DVD collection and want to get the best possible picture quality out of SD, if you have DVDs from other regions, if you want your player to stream from the Internet and to play video in various formats from a media server on your network, if you want to be able to play SACD and DVD-A audio disks, and so on, then this OPPO player is the way to go! It has no equals!
The latest OPPO player is here! Here is my review.
First impressions
The player is rather heavy and feels very solid. I do like its clean style and its brushed aluminum finish. Doesn't look cheap at all (after spending $499, I wouldn't expect anything less
). The player came enclosed in the OPPO signature bag and with a stylish black box for cables and remote. Nice touch! Also included in the box were: a heavy-duty high speed HDMI cable (with Ethernet support), a Wireless-N dongle, and a USB extender.Picture quality
The Blu-ray picture on this player looks absolutely spectacular! Of course the same can be said about any high-quality Blu-ray player out there. However, what sets this one apart is how well it handles video noise reduction and upconversion. The latest Marvell Qdeo chip does excellent job in removing video noise and improving the picture quality. This is especially noticeable on DVDs in dark low-contrast scenes.
Dual HDMI outputs
The player features two HDMI output ports. You can display the image on two HD displays simultaneously or you can use one HDMI output for video and the other one for audio ("Split A/V" mode). This is especially convenient if your display is 3D-capable (HDMI 1.4 compliant), but your audio system is HDMI 1.3 and cannot pass the 1.4 signal.
However, the two HDMI outputs are not created equal. The new Marvell Qdeo processing is only utilized on HDMI 1, so that's the preferred output for video. Keep in mind that HDMI 1 is the one on the right, and HDMI 2 is the one on the left. Somewhat confusing!
I did some side-by-side comparison of the two outputs (using a split-screen setup from two Epson 8350 projectors) and I do see significant difference between the two, particularly for DVD content. On the other hand, if your audio system can decode DSD (SACD Direct Stream Digital) and you prefer that over LPCM, then keep in mind that DSD output is only available from HDMI 2. I also noticed that HDMI 2 port creates some trouble for my projector when switching from one HDMI resolution to another, though quite possibly that can be corrected with a firmware update.
HDMI inputs
Are you running out of HDMI inputs in your A/V system? You are not alone! This player however can offer some help, as it has two HDMI inputs: one in the back and one in the front. Not only this can save you some money on buying an HDMI switch, but more importantly this will allow you to take full advantage of the Marvell Qdeo image processing for other video sources. In addition, the front HDMI input has MHL support (can charge some mobile devices).
Internet streaming
The player supports Internet streaming directly. It has built-in apps for Netflix, VUDU, Film Fresh, YouTube, Pandora and Picasa. I haven't tried them all yet, but according to OPPO's website, both NetFlix and VUDU streaming can handle 1080p and multi-channel audio (5.1 and 7.1 respectively).
Need more apps? The player supports the new Roku Stick ($99) via its front MHL-compatible HDMI port. (Though personally, I would rather buy a standalone Roku player.)
External media playback
In addition to playing disks, the BDP-103 can play external media from flash drives and external hard drives (connected via one of its three USB 2.0 ports), as well as play files over the network (via its Ethernet port or via included wireless-N adapter). Not only it can play via DLNA, as both Digital Media Player (DMP) and Digital Media Renderer (DMR), but it even can play files directly from a network share (SMB playback) without requiring any DLNA server! And as always, OPPO supports all kinds of data formats: MP4, AVI, MKV, and many-many more! (I only tried a few and they all played without any problems.) There is no eSATA or USB3 support, but I don't think this is a big problem, especially with the SMB support over Ethernet.
3D
The BDP-103 is a 3D Blu-ray player. Unfortunately the front projector in my Home Theater is not 3D, so to try it out with some 3D material I hooked up the player to a 47" LG LED set in the living room and gave it try. I played some scenes from Avatar and Prometheus. All looked fantastic! Out of curiosity I did some A/B comparison with an LG player and the 3D image produced by the BDP-103 looked somewhat better, more natural, compared to the LG player, though honestly I didn't have a chance to do enough comparison to state anything conclusive.
Multi-system support
If you have DVDs from other countries, you will truly appreciate the player's multi-system capabilities. It can play DVDs recorded in PAL and either output the native PAL signal directly or up-convert it all the way to 1080p. In addition, with a simple "SuperDisk" software mod you can make this player region-free (for DVD). I tried it and it works like a charm!
SACD and DVD-A audio
The BDP-103 is not only an excellent video player, but it's a great audio player too. Of particular interest to me, is its capability to play SACD and DVD-A formats. In fact, this was one of my main reasons to look into OPPO in the first place: not too many Blu-ray players offer this capability.
Limitations
Not entirely OPPO's fault, but the BDP-103 does have some limitations compared to its predecessors, mostly caused by the latest industry requirements. Completely gone are the analog video ports (there is one composite video output in the back, but it's for diagnostics purposes only). The player fully implements Cinavia copy-protection, which is now mandatory for all Blu-ray players. It means that some (presently only few) movies ripped from BDs may refuse to play. It cannot play ISO files directly, though reportedly there is currently a workaround: you can mount and play them via SMB (I haven't tried that though).
Other features
This player can up-scale to 4K! Wow! That sounds intriguing! But that's probably the most useless feature for me at present, since it will likely be years before I can afford a 4K display and when I finally get one, I am sure it will have built-in up-scaling too. Having said that, I am glad the player can do 4K. It makes me feel better about investing in this player: it won't get obsolete too soon.
This player is very quiet! Not only its transport is very quiet, but it's new fan-less design completely eliminates any fan noise.
Very quick response to the remote, quick disk load. Nice backlit remote!
If you have an older surround system that doesn't have HDMI, you will be happy to know that the player does offer 7.1 multi-channel analog audio outputs. Though if you are a true old-school audiophile who wants to stay in the analog domain as much as possible, then you may want to wait for the upcoming BDP-105 model ($1,199.00), which is supposed to have much better DACs. For the rest of us, the BDP-103 will do just fine!
Conclusion
So far I am very happy with this player! OPPO makes some of the best and the most feature-rich players out there and this latest model is no disappointment. This player produces an excellent HD image, while keeping it accurate, without doing any artificial "enhancements" and its up-scaling capabilities are superb.
The only question is whether the $499 price tag is justifiable. In my opinion, if you are just looking for a good Blu-ray player and you don't really need all other features that this OPPO BDP-103 offers, then you can save some money and a get a decent player for a fraction of that price. The Blu-ray playback on many players is so good these days that it will be hard for most people to tell the difference. However, if you want to have a top-quality universal player, that can do a great job playing various formats, if you have a large DVD collection and want to get the best possible picture quality out of SD, if you have DVDs from other regions, if you want your player to stream from the Internet and to play video in various formats from a media server on your network, if you want to be able to play SACD and DVD-A audio disks, and so on, then this OPPO player is the way to go! It has no equals!
25 Replies
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20052 views
Hi all, I recently inherited a FTA system off Craiglist and have been trying to get it set up. What I got was a Glorystar-branded ~90cm offset dish with a ground mount (/flat roof) frame, and GEOSATpro DSR200c receiver. From that initial equipment, I've replaced the old LNBF with a (cheap!) new one and also splurged on an SG-2100 H-H motorized rotor which does respond from the receiver's USALS menu.
The previous owner had it set up for religious programming on Galaxy 19 and I've been trying to start by finding that same bird at least. After a couple sessions I'm not sure I have, but I've found *something* at least! A handful of motor ticks further than the dish wants to be for 97W after starting from motor 0 pointing as much south as I can guess at. (I don't have great references to aim for and it's really hard to sight where exactly the dish is pointing anyway….)
Anyway, so far there's only one transponder that I've ever been able to catch as I search. It's 12146 V and when the receiver scans it I get this list of video channels:
but it's a long-winded spiel about "you know us as an industry-leading satellite solutions provider with over a quarter million sites" and to call them For All Your Every Needs™ type thing.
While I get little blips from other frequencies, this is the only strong transponder I've been able to come across. My receiver shows it as S 75 and Q up to 85 when I adjust it. It actually seemed to get better as I **un**skewed my LBNF — iiuc G19 was supposed to be -20º for me but however I'm supposed to be reading/referencing the angles the puck is now basically at 0º relative to the dish/arm got the strongest on this transponder.
Anyway sorry this is so long winded already… my question is, do I even have the right satellite? None of the other transponders that are supposed to be active on G-19 seem to come in. And if not the right satellite does anyone happen to recognize which one I might have found instead? I think knowing that would help me then adjust for a truer south aim and then hopeful the USALS will work automatically once I can get it dialed in.
The previous owner had it set up for religious programming on Galaxy 19 and I've been trying to start by finding that same bird at least. After a couple sessions I'm not sure I have, but I've found *something* at least! A handful of motor ticks further than the dish wants to be for 97W after starting from motor 0 pointing as much south as I can guess at. (I don't have great references to aim for and it's really hard to sight where exactly the dish is pointing anyway….)
Anyway, so far there's only one transponder that I've ever been able to catch as I search. It's 12146 V and when the receiver scans it I get this list of video channels:
- 1.1 Srv_1
- 2.84 OU_Chan
- 3.2 Srv_2
- 4.5 Srv_5
- 5.3 Srv_3
- 6.4 Srv_4
- 7.6 Srv_6
- 8.7 Srv_7
but it's a long-winded spiel about "you know us as an industry-leading satellite solutions provider with over a quarter million sites" and to call them For All Your Every Needs™ type thing.While I get little blips from other frequencies, this is the only strong transponder I've been able to come across. My receiver shows it as S 75 and Q up to 85 when I adjust it. It actually seemed to get better as I **un**skewed my LBNF — iiuc G19 was supposed to be -20º for me but however I'm supposed to be reading/referencing the angles the puck is now basically at 0º relative to the dish/arm got the strongest on this transponder.
Anyway sorry this is so long winded already… my question is, do I even have the right satellite? None of the other transponders that are supposed to be active on G-19 seem to come in. And if not the right satellite does anyone happen to recognize which one I might have found instead? I think knowing that would help me then adjust for a truer south aim and then hopeful the USALS will work automatically once I can get it dialed in.
9 Replies
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243 views
Done and done and done! I ended up doing a bit more iteration (back and forth between the left-right and up-down adjustments) but I've now got it landing on G19 at its default position for 97W.
Yep, ended up with a page or two full on my receiver's search. Didn't double-check that my receiver has all six of the right transponders but I can mess with that later if it turns out I'm missing something interesting but still DVB-S / MPEG-2 compatible.
Yep, can see definite signal degradation as soon as I skew the LNB either way from "straight" (seam on the LNB lined up with the clamps on the mounting bracket). Will make setup easier if I want to try swapping anything else in!
I don't know if there's any good (unencrypted, DVB-S) satellite farther away to really check the sweep against, but I was at least able to program in my original find at 101.0 W back in (now at the correct "12000 V 20000" setting) and can get both birds automatically.
Shouldn't be *that* exciting since it's just an ad, but still really fun to choose channels on the other one and have it jog over and lock on
B
beside 123W, another one to try (if it's above the horizon at your location) is Hispasat @30W. It has at least 2 DVB-S transponders with SD/Mpeg2 channelsDone and done and done! I ended up doing a bit more iteration (back and forth between the left-right and up-down adjustments) but I've now got it landing on G19 at its default position for 97W.
Yep, ended up with a page or two full on my receiver's search. Didn't double-check that my receiver has all six of the right transponders but I can mess with that later if it turns out I'm missing something interesting but still DVB-S / MPEG-2 compatible.
Yep, can see definite signal degradation as soon as I skew the LNB either way from "straight" (seam on the LNB lined up with the clamps on the mounting bracket). Will make setup easier if I want to try swapping anything else in!
I don't know if there's any good (unencrypted, DVB-S) satellite farther away to really check the sweep against, but I was at least able to program in my original find at 101.0 W back in (now at the correct "12000 V 20000" setting) and can get both birds automatically.
Shouldn't be *that* exciting since it's just an ad, but still really fun to choose channels on the other one and have it jog over and lock on
No luck finding this one. I motor over and it seems like a pretty dead spot of sky. I did get a slight blip (Q up to 1% or 2%) if I lowered the dish slightly. So I wonder if my polar mount itself maybe needs a bit of fine tuning?
Even when loosening the bolts and manually nudging the dish up/down/left/right nothing seemed to really wake it [new receiver, see below!] up and never saw anything more than 4% or 5% which I don't know is even real or could have been just noise?
I'm in Washington state (northwest CONUS) so this one's not an option for me.
I now have a V8 Finder 2
I've been able to scan in more now on G-19, and as well as watching the ad on SES 1 and getting some PBS stations there and G-16 both. So three satellites kinda in the general vicinity of each other (97W/101W/99.1W) programmed and able to rotate between.
Is G-18 at 123W as strong as the others? According to Satbeams I should be at least somewhat in its footprint although it looks like it's maybe focused more on Alaska.
Now that I'm back at my computer waiting for the Finder to charge back up looks like the Eutelsat(s) 117W have a couple Ku transponders I could look for too.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW3qReY-JYA
Direct YouTube Link - Google's New Translate Tool
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW3qReY-JYA
Direct YouTube Link - Google's New Translate Tool
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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1 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zh1RgcJue0
Direct YouTube Link - Another Cisco SD-WAN 0-day?
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zh1RgcJue0
Direct YouTube Link - Another Cisco SD-WAN 0-day?
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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2 views
Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm trying to solve problem I'm having with Dish bonus view channels. When I'm watching the bonus view channels then I switch back to regular dish channels, after few minutes the screen flips to black and after 30 seconds flips back to regular channels and continues to flip back and forth until I turn off TV. After I wait 30 minutes and turn back on , I can use regular channels again. So, its after I switch from bonus view channels to regular dish channels the problem starts. Been trying to fix this for a month, but no luck
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks
Here what I've done.
i contacted Dish support and they sent me a new Joey3, but no help. Switched to a different HDMI input on TV, no help. Used different HDMI cable , no help. Used different electrical wall plug, no help.
Finally got a Dish tech to check it. He ran all systems check and was OK. Finally he brought in a small TV and plugged in the HDMI out from the Joey to the small TV. He could not get the problem to occur on his small TV, so the new Joey was working OK. So, then the problem must be myTV. He made some phone calls and came back with the answer that there must be a problem with the analog to digital switch in my TV. Has anyone ever heard of a problem like this, or is it time to be looking for a new TV? My tv LG OLED65C8PUA. TV has been trouble free til now. Thanks
4 Replies
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53 views
I'm having trouble finding a for sure answer on this. When I first started diving back into satellite stuff I noticed the GT Media V8 Finder2 which looks pretty cool and relatively low price point. But I can't find an answer, seems like some people (and Amazon's own AI guesser-bot) say it doesn't support motors.
The manual itself (the PDF that I found is named 20220718043903GTMEDIAV8FINDER2.pdf and it's on page 6 of 8) does show on the installation screen a "Motor Setup" menu item and says "If select DiSEqC1.2 or USALS, we can press ◀︎▶︎ to select IF Channel, and use number key to input Center Frequency."
Which…… the USALS part seems promising, but I don't know what IF and Center frequencies have to do with anything? Can it drive the motor off its battery for one, and does it have options for e.g. using the ◀︎▶︎ arrows to change the aim and save adjustments?
The closest I've found to real-world experience here is in Long shot with TBS6909X card where someone is talking about a different rotor and says:
> when I connect my V8 Finder 2, it immediately moves the dish if it's not in the correct position
which seems really promising! Moving the dish is what I'm after here, with something newer than the old MPEG-2 receiver I have now. Even for other receivers its really unclear if motor support is just pretty much a safe assumption that they don't even mention it anymore?
The V9 Prime actually looks pretty nice too and assuming it runs motors maybe that'd be better than the V8 Finder 2 for actual long term use since it has networking. But I'm having trouble finding listings for it (and actually most other receivers I see mentioned here) on Amazon or eBay or even Aliexpress. I'm wanting a DVB-S2 receiver for at least MPEG-4 with H.264/AVC and maybe should just get H.265/HEVC while I'm shopping. Main criteria:
* run my "Goto X"-era SG-2100 rotator
* be able to view most/all modern FTA satellites
* ideally a scheduled DVR feature and/or network would make it more useful
* I don't mind if it has… "alternative" firmwares or features but just for broader compatibility/interest
My main goal is I guess just exploration, seeing what's up there. Honestly not a big TV guy and definitely not into infomercials but if I can time shift the occasional Bob Ross or Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, or catch some world events as they're being uplinked, that sort of thing might be interesting. (Honestly main goal started out as weather satellites but this is kinda a warmup excercise for what will likely be a separate setup due to the frequencies.)
My dish is kinda far from my house and even farther from my "radio shack" so if I could just run a PoE ethernet line to something in a box below the dish, or a coax only to the crawlspace where I have 110V but either way would need it full remote including changing between satellites. To avoid having to buy and pull tons more coax up and down through the house. I'm into open source and real standards, so I'd much rather something that I can say use with VLC or go2rtc via a raw IP address and protocol rather than some convenient but proprietary iOS cloud app thingy.
The manual itself (the PDF that I found is named 20220718043903GTMEDIAV8FINDER2.pdf and it's on page 6 of 8) does show on the installation screen a "Motor Setup" menu item and says "If select DiSEqC1.2 or USALS, we can press ◀︎▶︎ to select IF Channel, and use number key to input Center Frequency."
Which…… the USALS part seems promising, but I don't know what IF and Center frequencies have to do with anything? Can it drive the motor off its battery for one, and does it have options for e.g. using the ◀︎▶︎ arrows to change the aim and save adjustments?
The closest I've found to real-world experience here is in Long shot with TBS6909X card where someone is talking about a different rotor and says:
> when I connect my V8 Finder 2, it immediately moves the dish if it's not in the correct position
which seems really promising! Moving the dish is what I'm after here, with something newer than the old MPEG-2 receiver I have now. Even for other receivers its really unclear if motor support is just pretty much a safe assumption that they don't even mention it anymore?
The V9 Prime actually looks pretty nice too and assuming it runs motors maybe that'd be better than the V8 Finder 2 for actual long term use since it has networking. But I'm having trouble finding listings for it (and actually most other receivers I see mentioned here) on Amazon or eBay or even Aliexpress. I'm wanting a DVB-S2 receiver for at least MPEG-4 with H.264/AVC and maybe should just get H.265/HEVC while I'm shopping. Main criteria:
* run my "Goto X"-era SG-2100 rotator
* be able to view most/all modern FTA satellites
* ideally a scheduled DVR feature and/or network would make it more useful
* I don't mind if it has… "alternative" firmwares or features but just for broader compatibility/interest
My main goal is I guess just exploration, seeing what's up there. Honestly not a big TV guy and definitely not into infomercials but if I can time shift the occasional Bob Ross or Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, or catch some world events as they're being uplinked, that sort of thing might be interesting. (Honestly main goal started out as weather satellites but this is kinda a warmup excercise for what will likely be a separate setup due to the frequencies.)
My dish is kinda far from my house and even farther from my "radio shack" so if I could just run a PoE ethernet line to something in a box below the dish, or a coax only to the crawlspace where I have 110V but either way would need it full remote including changing between satellites. To avoid having to buy and pull tons more coax up and down through the house. I'm into open source and real standards, so I'd much rather something that I can say use with VLC or go2rtc via a raw IP address and protocol rather than some convenient but proprietary iOS cloud app thingy.
3 Replies
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112 views
Thanks, great tips and yeah when I'd read how the H/V bias worked I wondered if the higher voltage was ever useful for better power transfer
It was perhaps slightly impulsive (though I guess not too late to cancel) but instead of the Finder unit I ended up going for kinda the opposite: a completely faceless USB tuner box (TBS5930) which should have RF support all the way up through DVB-S2X. If I'm understanding correctly the actual video/audio will then be whatever I can get software/GPU support for so my hope is that any unencrypted MPEG-2/AVC/HEVC feed can be viewed with VLC or whatnot. As well as access to what I assume is pure data like the Blockstream stuff just for example. (They had a lot of good resources for reception of their own signal in lots of various interesting ways and is kinda how I found the TBS options.)
And I think I will be able to control DiSEqC stuff through Linux including motor commands. So the idea is kinda what I mentioned, hoping this can just get chained in to an old thin client PC or if there's any Raspberry Pi that doesn't cost triple digits these days, somewhere physically convenient and then run it all over LAN from my laptop.
All this is somewhat theoretical of course based on what I'm piecing together but at a certain point I usually have to close all the browser tabs and just commit to try *something* that looks promising and go from there.
It was perhaps slightly impulsive (though I guess not too late to cancel) but instead of the Finder unit I ended up going for kinda the opposite: a completely faceless USB tuner box (TBS5930) which should have RF support all the way up through DVB-S2X. If I'm understanding correctly the actual video/audio will then be whatever I can get software/GPU support for so my hope is that any unencrypted MPEG-2/AVC/HEVC feed can be viewed with VLC or whatnot. As well as access to what I assume is pure data like the Blockstream stuff just for example. (They had a lot of good resources for reception of their own signal in lots of various interesting ways and is kinda how I found the TBS options.)
And I think I will be able to control DiSEqC stuff through Linux including motor commands. So the idea is kinda what I mentioned, hoping this can just get chained in to an old thin client PC or if there's any Raspberry Pi that doesn't cost triple digits these days, somewhere physically convenient and then run it all over LAN from my laptop.
All this is somewhat theoretical of course based on what I'm piecing together but at a certain point I usually have to close all the browser tabs and just commit to try *something* that looks promising and go from there.
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VVvKL573guE
Direct YouTube Link - AI That Learns YOU!
Jensen Huang Loves It! #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VVvKL573guE
Direct YouTube Link - AI That Learns YOU!
Jensen Huang Loves It! #shortsTWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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3 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ctuZx2SesL0
Direct YouTube Link - AI Worm: The Unstoppable Cybersecurity Threat Explained #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ctuZx2SesL0
Direct YouTube Link - AI Worm: The Unstoppable Cybersecurity Threat Explained #shorts
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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3 views
Lon.TV
Time for another AWESOME video from Lon Seidman of LON.TV!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZX9ePUKo00
Direct YouTube Link - Let's Talk About Windows 11's Bloated Notepad and a Fix!
The Official LON.TV Website
Lon on Facebook
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZX9ePUKo00
Direct YouTube Link - Let's Talk About Windows 11's Bloated Notepad and a Fix!
The Official LON.TV Website
Lon on Facebook
0 Replies
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4 views
Mexico takes on South Africa to open the World Cup Final (it is called the Final... this just isn't the World Cup Final... Final). The tournament has been plagued with rife malfeasance as FIFA has been committing all sorts of fraud with the ticket sales. Hotel rooms have gone unfilled as the prices to attend a game and stay somewhere are through the roof. I swear this is impacting Mansfield, OH hotel rates which are higher than average for the Indycar race. And there is a broadening VAR presence which will ruin things as nothing worse now when scoring a goal and knowing you can't quite celebrate yet as they check to see if a player was offside by a pixel a half-hour ago.
The Group Stage used to mean something, but now 32 of the 48... yeah, 48 teams are going to the Knockout Round. Getting into the Knockout Round used to be a big deal, even for the US. But now... if you don't lose all of your group stage games, you get to move on. Oi! And this is avoiding all the political stuff!
I have never been so unexcited for a World Cup before. Every game used to matter. But FIFA be darned if they don't try to squeeze out every dime they can out of the players, refs, and fans.
The Group Stage used to mean something, but now 32 of the 48... yeah, 48 teams are going to the Knockout Round. Getting into the Knockout Round used to be a big deal, even for the US. But now... if you don't lose all of your group stage games, you get to move on. Oi! And this is avoiding all the political stuff!
I have never been so unexcited for a World Cup before. Every game used to matter. But FIFA be darned if they don't try to squeeze out every dime they can out of the players, refs, and fans.
1 Replies
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19 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
I was reading this article
thehill.com
That said this-
Last summer, for the first time, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime claimed the largest share of the television viewing audience, surpassing both cable and broadcast TV. Streaming captured 34.8 percent of July viewers, according to Nielsen data, compared to 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.
And then, sometime in the second half of 2022, cord-cutters became the majority. The share of cable and satellite television subscribers dipped to 48 percent, according to a report from Samba TV, a television technology company.
Now I do not consider those with YTTV and the likes, Cord Cutters, but they still do not have Traditional Cable/Satellite delivered Live TV, so I decided to do the math.
There are, now, 129 Million Households in the United States.
In 2015, there were 100 Million Cable/Sat Subscribers , no streaming Live TV Service.
Today, there are 66 Million Live TV subscribers, including Cable, Satellite and Streaming.
Roughly, Streaming Live TV has 14 Million subs including all of them.
So that means, Cable/Satellite now has, roughly, 51 Million Households
So in just 8 years, lost 49% of their subscribers and by the end of this year, expected sub count to be, roughly, 45 million households.
That means a total loss of 55% since 2015 at the end of 2023.
But out of 129 Million households, 45 million will mean only 35% will get Cable/Satellite Delivered Live TV by the end of 2023.
Imagine what 2024 will be like.
Cable TV ‘cord-cutters’ became the majority in 2022
The steady decline of cable and broadcast television, and the rise of streaming services, reached a sort of inflection point over the past year. Last summer, for the first time, streaming ser…
thehill.com
That said this-
Last summer, for the first time, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime claimed the largest share of the television viewing audience, surpassing both cable and broadcast TV. Streaming captured 34.8 percent of July viewers, according to Nielsen data, compared to 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.
And then, sometime in the second half of 2022, cord-cutters became the majority. The share of cable and satellite television subscribers dipped to 48 percent, according to a report from Samba TV, a television technology company.
Now I do not consider those with YTTV and the likes, Cord Cutters, but they still do not have Traditional Cable/Satellite delivered Live TV, so I decided to do the math.
There are, now, 129 Million Households in the United States.
In 2015, there were 100 Million Cable/Sat Subscribers , no streaming Live TV Service.
Today, there are 66 Million Live TV subscribers, including Cable, Satellite and Streaming.
Roughly, Streaming Live TV has 14 Million subs including all of them.
So that means, Cable/Satellite now has, roughly, 51 Million Households
So in just 8 years, lost 49% of their subscribers and by the end of this year, expected sub count to be, roughly, 45 million households.
That means a total loss of 55% since 2015 at the end of 2023.
But out of 129 Million households, 45 million will mean only 35% will get Cable/Satellite Delivered Live TV by the end of 2023.
Imagine what 2024 will be like.
821 Replies
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69360 views
Comcast Corporation, one of the largest telecommunications and media conglomerates in the United States, has shed more than 13 million pay-TV subscribers since reaching its zenith in the late 2000s. The company's video subscriber base, which includes traditional cable television services, stood at approximately 24.2 million customers toward the end of 2008. By the close of the first quarter of 2026, that figure had plummeted to roughly10.95 million, representing a loss of about 13.25 million subscribers, or more than half of its historical peak.
cordcuttersnews.com
Comcast Has Lost Over 13 Million TV Subscribers Since It Peaked Back in 2008 - A Look Back At This Historic Fall That Saw It Lose More Than Half of Its TV Subscribers | Cord Cutters News
Comcast Corporation, one of the largest telecommunications and media conglomerates in the United States, has shed more than 13 million pay-TV subscribers since reaching its zenith in the late 2000s. The company’s video subscriber base, which includes traditional cable television services, stood...
cordcuttersnews.com
Comcast Corporation, one of the largest telecommunications and media conglomerates in the United States, has shed more than 13 million pay-TV subscribers since reaching its zenith in the late 2000s. The company's video subscriber base, which includes traditional cable television services, stood at approximately 24.2 million customers toward the end of 2008. By the close of the first quarter of 2026, that figure had plummeted to roughly10.95 million, representing a loss of about 13.25 million subscribers, or more than half of its historical peak.
Comcast Has Lost Over 13 Million TV Subscribers Since It Peaked Back in 2008 - A Look Back At This Historic Fall That Saw It Lose More Than Half of Its TV Subscribers | Cord Cutters News
Comcast Corporation, one of the largest telecommunications and media conglomerates in the United States, has shed more than 13 million pay-TV subscribers since reaching its zenith in the late 2000s. The company’s video subscriber base, which includes traditional cable television services, stood...
Couldn't happen to a nicer company!
The average monthly cost of cable television in the United States has climbed to $147, marking a significant increase that reflects broader trends in media consumption and rising operational expenses for providers. This figure represents the baseline expense for standard television packages across major cable operators, excluding additional fees for premium channels, equipment rentals, or taxes that often push household bills even higher.
This is without Broadband services ( bundled), also, paying a lot more for a lot less new scripted content and now….sports.
cordcuttersnews.com
This is without Broadband services ( bundled), also, paying a lot more for a lot less new scripted content and now….sports.
The Cost of Cable TV Has Jumped Almost 55% Over the Last 10 Years | Cord Cutters News
The average monthly cost of cable television in the United States has climbed to $147, marking a significant increase that reflects broader trends in media consumption and rising operational expenses for providers. This figure represents the baseline expense for standard television packages...
cordcuttersnews.com
