A Coolsat 8000HD Review

[johnnytuinals]

I mean most are buying the 8000D for the FTA and OTA HD programming....
Most would think this unit should work right out of the box?
Maybe their updated units in the near future with have the software installed...
I am sure or hope we will see something from Pansat in the very near future?
I am sure that if coolsat took their time a few more months that they would have a great product and would sell many...SCREW reflashing the unit...JohnnyT

 

[SKYV]

I want to say there a lot of clone receivers you need to check on thet too.

 

[crawfrdb]

Sadly this receiver was rushed out too soon, from what I've read , in order to have HD Satellite capabilities , 3rd party software must be used and once used the atsc ota tuner does not work. Read it handles QPSK , now I would just like to know if you can at least get FTA PBS HD.

This is so sad that you have to use 3rd party firmware to get this thing working for FTA.

Looks like alot of people are having similar problems and no manuals.

Pity about losing the ATSC capability on the reflashes. The ATSC looks spectacular- better than on my Motorola ATSC tuner.

I spoke with the repair guys today at Freetech (a/k/a CoolsatUSA) in SFO. They have found documentation and they are mailing it to me. I wonder how the english will be (how is it in the existing receivers in their product line? He also said the USB 2.0 is on the receiver board and that it is possible to just connect a ribbon cable and USB female connector on the case. Expect instructions soon.

The repair center is emailing Korea for an ETA on dual-functionality firmware (true FTA + ATSC).

I also called the dealer I bought it from. Their english was pretty rough. I had to repeat myself six or seven times that I had received the unit in the mail on saturday, to which they kept replying that they haven't started shipping the units out because they haven't received any yet and they expect to start receiving them at the end of the month.

There are forum postings making the rounds that this receiver can do more than just standard DVB. Maybe not much more (perhaps just MPEG4) but at least it's something. Can't wait to try this on the PBS HD or the other simpler HD FTA channels.

 

[Tron]

Looks like its still in prototype stages, hence the need for hacked firmware. Maybe the manufacturers had the idea to let hackers develop the firmware instead of hiring a design team We've seen this before, 3rd party firmware adding features (besides piracy) that the factory firmware didn't offer.

Don't know why you'd HAVE to lose ATSC HD to get DVB HD, these are two separate tuners

 

[crawfrdb]

Looks like its still in prototype stages, hence the need for hacked firmware. Maybe the manufacturers had the idea to let hackers develop the firmware instead of hiring a design team We've seen this before, 3rd party firmware adding features (besides piracy) that the factory firmware didn't offer.

Don't know why you'd HAVE to lose ATSC HD to get DVB HD, these are two separate tuners

I wonder why they stamped "DVB-S2" on the back at the satellite antenna input port?

Anyone know how these guys assemble the firmware development environment to do this? At this, I'm ready & willing to do it.

 

[jayelem]

I had to repeat myself six or seven times that I had received the unit in the mail on saturday, to which they kept replying that they haven't started shipping the units out because they haven't received any yet and they expect to start receiving them at the end of the month.

They must have sold more orders for the HD 8000 than they can keep up with.

Thats funny , comedy of errors , they probably are getting calls for no manuals and no usb port, and everything else.

Either that or you just stepped into the Twilight Zone.

 

[SatelliteAV]

They must have sold more orders for the HD 8000 than they can keep up with.

Thats funny , comedy of errors , they probably are getting calls for no manuals and no usb port, and everything else.

Either that or you just stepped into the Twilight Zone.

More likely that Coolsat received less receivers than they were promised on the first shipment ......... and the 2nd shipment hasn't arrived.

This receiver is from European heritage and manufactured by a leading manufacturer, Homecast / EMtech. The ATSC tuner module is an add-on since the the Europeans use DVB-T.

No doubt that this receiver is being rushed to market.......

 

[0utcast]

the first units did not have the usb port as we was notified as dealers for coolsat. the next lot is suppose to have them. however you slice it that is not right if you ask me for the price they're asking.

at least the sonicview model coming im told will have the option to add the 8psk module. that was from sonicview themselves to us as dealer with them also not a rumor. they are concerned with the legal aspect of course.

 

[Mr Tony]

well I got my 8000 today (wasnt suppose to come until Monday). like crawfrdb I did not get a manual either. But I have worked with Coolsats before

Just opened it (at work....grr....want to go home now) so I will see how it works out this weekend

 

[SatinKzo]

was that a cough I detected Iceberg? you look a bit pale, you should head out early.

 

[crawfrdb]

I was going to edit my original review but apparently that option is not available after a certain period of time. The summary: While this receiver has a great deal of potential, it is NOT yet a fully developed unit. How could Jin High Tech could have started shipping this unit sans it's advertised hardware and firmware functionality? What were they thinking? At the very least, they could have advertised the present state of this unit more accurately rather than state features the receiver does not have in the units they were shipping. This is less than honest.

The documentation for the 8000HD arrived on thursday. It includes instructions on configuring the receiver for DVB reception. It is clear from this manual that an option on the "Installation" menu is missing in the firmware being shipped.

Above the "Auto Scan" option in the depiction in the manual is "Dish". According to the manual, this selection accesses the expected satellite functionality, including blind scan and DiSeqC access. Why the manufacturer shipped this unit out without correct firmware is anyone's guess.

I contacted CoolSat USA regarding this firmware problem. They have made numerous inquiries to the manufacturer in Korea. The manufacturer, in turn, and are not responding even to Coolsat USA's queries. Coolsat USA expects the next shipment of receivers, sometime in early February, to have the correct firmware. They do not yet know how existing owners of this receiver are to receive the update.

They also do not yet know how the owners of these initial receivers, which lack the advertised USB port, will acquire this capability either.

One curious mention in the documentation- at the beginning of the manual, under the heading "Features" is the mention of MPEG4 DVB reception- something not so specifically stated on the now well-propagated list of features taken from the Coolsat USA/FreeTech web site. Yet at the back of the manual, under "Specifications", no mention of MPEG4 is made at all- only MPEG2 is included in the description.

This is not encouraging.

 

[Mr Tony]

craw

Now that I fully read your review, I decided to hook up my box. And you are right. There ain't a damn thing on the factory software for DVB

NOTHING, NADA, ZIPPO

The only option is OTA which I havent tried yet (gonna try tomorrow). It sounds really sad when I might have to load old 3rd party software into it just to get DVB programming

more to come tomorrow.....

 

[1inabillion]

This CoolSat8K receiver shur looks like a big bomb out. :down

 

[plimzol]

Iceberg,

While I'm still working on my installation (focusing on the pansat 6000hxc), as you know, I have taken the FTA creed to heart. And that is "As a true FTA tester, One does not test on a singal reciever, dish, LNBF, etc! It's all about the signal". I'm sitting on a viewsat ultra but more to the point, I also pre-ordered the coolsat 8000 hd believing the manf. claims. I have not received my unit yet. After reading the posts I think it would be a good thing if I was the last of the pre-orders to be fullfilled. I look forward to your review.

plimzol

 

[plimzol]

My most humble apoligies to crawfrdb. In reading my last post in context
It sounds as if I degenerate his review by omision. On the contrary, it was his comprehensive review that lead me to this thread in the first place, having also pre-purchased the 8000 hd. Being new to this hobby, Iceberg has offered advise in other matters that has helped me. I was only expressing an interest in his first hand observations testing the 8000 HD reciever.

plimzol

 

[Mr Tony]

craw
I made some headway in getting more of the OTA channels. I used your notes

Terrestrial operation has been found. There does not appear to be any satellite DVB capability with this unit at all. No insignificant absence given the $450 price tag.

After trying several combinations of "Auto Scan" parameters, here is the combination that finally found local stations:

Start Frequency (KHz): 470000
End Frequency (KHz): 806000
Step Frequency: (KHz): 1250 (minimum step size seems to be 1000)
Scan Mode: Free
Service Type: TV
Modulation: VSB

Not all of the local channels are seen by the unit.

and got some channels but not all...

but then I figured "lets change the steps to something else and see." Changed it to 600 and I'm getting the channels I was missing


addition to above.
Here in Minneapolis our DT stations are on
16-PBS (2nd))(Analog 17)
21-MyTV (29)
22-CW (23)
26-Fox (9)
32-CBS (4)
34-PBS (main) (2)
35-NBC (11)
40-i (41)
44-ind (45)
50-ABC (5)

when I first scanned using 1250 steps, it missed CW, CBS, PBS (main) and the Ind. When I did 600 steps, it picked up the rest

 

[Mr Tony]

weird...I got a EPG on my stations...right now its at 7 hours ahead (2:45 right now and the EPG goes to 10PM)

edit 3PM: some of my stations (ABC) went to 3PM tomorrow...most stopped at midnight. It looks like if you leave it on the channel longer, it fills in the guide for the main and subchannels

unhooked antenna right now. Need to record something OTA

 

[pb4610]

What a bummer. I purchased one the first week of January but haven't received it yet from GoSatellite. Hopefully Coolsat comes out with a better firmware before I receive it. I was hoping for a receiver that performs as good as the Pansat 3500SD receiver.

Well, I guess I have to wait and see.

 

[Mr Tony]

Well I started working with it tonight

EPG is almost instant a couple hours. I got 9-10 hours on most channels.

One thing that is weird is the channels are all 1XXX
1 I guess to keep it away from the normal channels
XX is the OTA channel
last X is the -1, -2 etc

so in the 1st picture its 9-2, 11-1, 11-2, 17-1, 17-2, 17-3 which is out locals here in MN. I had it on 9-2 because its a SD channel and the -1 channel wont stretch (and I was watching the news)

Here's just a couple quick shots of the EPG

 

[crawfrdb]

Well I started working with it tonight

so in the 1st picture its 9-2, 11-1, 11-2, 17-1, 17-2, 17-3 which is out locals here in MN. I had it on 9-2 because its a SD channel and the -1 channel wont stretch (and I was watching the news)

Do you get audio clipping on some of your audio? I hear this on about half of the local channels. I re-connected my Motorola ATSC tuner to determine if it was heard with that tuner and it isn't.