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Replaced the IR receiver diode and now the remote control works. The original IR transmitter still doesn't work but the PanSat replacement that I bought works just fine. Maybe the IR transmitter diode in the orginal is bad also? Maybe I'll fix that, maybe I won't. Looks like there was a firmware update from February that I didn't know about, but it still didn't provide automatic time sync via NTP. Also, I tried editing the channel list with the ALi editor for the 9000i but it causes the box to go into bootloop. They charged too much for this receiver when one considers the quality.

johnnynobody said:

Replaced the IR receiver diode and now the remote control works. The original IR transmitter still doesn't work but the PanSat replacement that I bought works just fine. Maybe the IR transmitter diode in the orginal is bad also? Maybe I'll fix that, maybe I won't. Looks like there was a firmware update from February that I didn't know about, but it still didn't provide automatic time sync via NTP. Also, I tried editing the channel list with the ALi editor for the 9000i but it causes the box to go into bootloop. They charged too much for this receiver when one considers the quality.

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I have a 9000i as well. This receiver has had a very weak IR setup since it was new. I have to point the remote directly at it and even at that, sometimes it will do something goofy like going into another menu rather than going to the guide. It's a pretty poor setup to begin with. I have an IR extender with one of the receiving sensors sitting direct in front of the receiver. It works well as long as it doesn't get moved.

I'm not impressed with this receiver at all. Half the time, some of the channels are late popping in, or they won't come in at all unless you switch back and forth between channels. I have a 8 way switch in the line, and I have changed it, and it still does it. I can hook another receiver to it and it works just fine. At three times the price of my other receivers, you'd think it would work better. Here's a UHF kit on ebay. Pansat/Linkbox U-30 UHF Remote Control Kit Pansat | eBay

wvman said:

I have a 9000i as well. This receiver has had a very weak IR setup since it was new. I have to point the remote directly at it and even at that, sometimes it will do something goofy like going into another menu rather than going to the guide. It's a pretty poor setup to begin with. I have an IR extender with one of the receiving sensors sitting direct in front of the receiver. It works well as long as it doesn't get moved.

I'm not impressed with this receiver at all. Half the time, some of the channels are late popping in, or they won't come in at all unless you switch back and forth between channels. I have a 8 way switch in the line, and I have changed it, and it still does it. I can hook another receiver to it and it works just fine. At three times the price of my other receivers, you'd think it would work better. Here's a UHF kit on ebay. Pansat/Linkbox U-30 UHF Remote Control Kit Pansat | eBay

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IR receivers do have a range over where they can see the IR blaster. It could be that the IR receiver that they put into the 9000i may have had the most limited range or it's of poor quality. The new IR receiver that I put into my 9000i seems to have good side performance and I estimate the range to be +/- 80 degrees. I suppose that the UHF remote would work better, though, but I don't plan to buy one. It would have been nice if the receiver could be controlled with a smart phone app using wifi like the Roku does. And don't expect the time sync issue to be fixed. A lot of the IPTV links don't work either. This receiver sounded good on paper but in reality it was poorly implemented. It's a lot of money for something that doesn't come though on it's claimed abilities. It might have been an excellent receiver if it had decent support with a willingness to resolve issues.

Anyway, I've been looking at getting a new STB that'll do 4K. I'm going to be looking at Linux based STB's (and even PCIe and PCI cards) since Linux is open source. I have to laugh because the PCI cards can be run on linux but the only decent desktop/laptop software that's available for the PCI card is Windows based. But, unlike desktops and laptops, it's not as easy to keep embedded systems like internet routers and STB's updated. On Ubuntu, I just use apt update/upgrade or dpkg to to update software and/or the kernel. Couldn't do that with STB's like the the Azbox Elite/Ultra or with dd-wrt based internet routers. Those devices are updated with firmware from the vendor or interested third parties and that the length of time of support is very limited. You could create the firmware yourself with appropriate utilities and the knowledge and time to do so. Another problem with updating STB's and internet routers is that they usually don't use the same hardware as a desktop/laptop (i.e. cpu's, memory, etc).

As an electronic technician, I'm disappointed in the overall quality of electronic devices that are being produced these days. Oh well, it helps keeping my mind active in retirement.

johnnynobody said:

IR receivers do have a range over where they can see the IR blaster. It could be that the IR receiver that they put into the 9000i may have had the most limited range or it's of poor quality. The new IR receiver that I put into my 9000i seems to have good side performance and I estimate the range to be +/- 80 degrees. I suppose that the UHF remote would work better, though, but I don't plan to buy one. It would have been nice if the receiver could be controlled with a smart phone app using wifi like the Roku does. And don't expect the time sync issue to be fixed. A lot of the IPTV links don't work either. This receiver sounded good on paper but in reality it was poorly implemented. It's a lot of money for something that doesn't come though on it's claimed abilities. It might have been an excellent receiver if it had decent support with a willingness to resolve issues.

Anyway, I've been looking at getting a new STB that'll do 4K. I'm going to be looking at Linux based STB's (and even PCIe and PCI cards) since Linux is open source. I have to laugh because the STB is linux based but the only decent desktop/laptop software that's available for the STB is Windows based. But, unlike desktops and laptops, it's not as easy to keep embedded systems like internet routers and STB's updated. On Ubuntu, I just use apt update/upgrade or dpkg to to update software and/or the kernel. Couldn't do that with STB's like the the Azbox Elite/Ultra or with dd-wrt based internet routers. Those devices are updated with firmware from the vendor or interested third parties and that the length of time of support is very limited. You could create the firmware yourself with appropriate utilities and the knowledge and time to do so. Another problem with updating STB's and internet routers is that they usually don't use the same hardware as a desktop/laptop (i.e. cpu's, memory, etc).

As an electronic technician, I'm disappointed in the overall quality of electronic devices that are being produced these days. Oh well, it helps keeping my mind active in retirement.

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I get a good laugh when I see receivers costing 4 or 5 times the price of the cheaper ones, and then they don't perform well. I have a shelf full of various brands of receivers and I bought them strictly as play toys and for evaluation purposes. My 9000i has the latest firmware in it, so there is no update and I don't expect to see one. When I got this one, I ordered three extra remotes just because.

Like yours, the IPTV links in my are mostly dead ends that do not work. I've even went in and created my own links, that work part of the time. The thing that surprised me when I got into FTA is the lack of standard formatting from channel to channel. There just doesn't seem to be any setting that's right for all the channels. The channels are either a small square in the middle of the screen, a black bar at the top and bottom, or at the sides. All the zoom features makes the people's heads partly off the screen or the graphics.

I bought a new LG UHD TV two weeks ago, hoping it would have a setting to eliminate this, but it will not do it either. The 1080i setting in the receiver works fine, but the 1080p isn't functional. When you select it, the picture has a lot of garbage in it, and the over all quality is nonexistent. Like you said, this is a poorly designed receiver all the way around. After being in the satellite industry for 30 years, the quality of these electronics is pretty disappointing.

Yeah, I forgot the 1080p problem. That probably won't be fixed either. I'm not aware of any organization that tests the receivers so that we can get performance reviews to help us decide what will meet our needs. It would be nice to get something that works as described rather than having to spend money with the HOPE that it works as advertised. There are some reviews done here but you have to wade through a bunch of posts to get the whole story. If something isn't done to determine what works and what doesn't it will probably kill off the remaining C-band users. It's bad enough that we can't get a decent BUD without "breaking the bank".

johnnynobody said:

Yeah, I forgot the 1080p problem. That probably won't be fixed either. I'm not aware of any organization that tests the receivers so that we can get performance reviews to help us decide what will meet our needs. It would be nice to get something that works as described rather than having to spend money with the HOPE that it works as advertised. There are some reviews done here but you have to wade through a bunch of posts to get the whole story. If something isn't done to determine what works and what doesn't it will probably kill off the remaining C-band users. It's bad enough that we can't get a decent BUD without "breaking the bank".

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I was at a friend's house over the weekend and noticed that Dish Network has the same issue with the picture not filling out the screen. Apparently this is an industry wide issue. We tinkered with the settings in his UHD TV, and there were no settings to remedy the problem on his either. I've noticed that after the LAFF/Grit MUX on Galaxy 19 went to HD, some of the channels in that MUX are the same way.

I also noticed that some of the channels in that MUX have a lower signal level, which makes the channels stop and start for a second or two. The channels that max out on the signal don't do it. They are coming in on an 8 foot dish. I moved one of my 10 footers over to Galaxy 19 and the problem went away. Odd this problem didn't exist until they went HD. Never had a problem with the screen filling out or the stop/start issue with the SD channels.