AMIKO Amiko Mini 4k uhd s2 x - strengths & weaknesses

[hdtvman]

After a long hiatus from the hobby (15 years), I have purchased a new Amiko Mini 4k uhd s2x. These comments apply to the 4k unit only as i dont have the earlier model. Here are my impressions.

1. Channel List and Satellite memory: Insufficient
I have maxed out the channel and satellite memory with FTA ku entries only (no scrambled). My ku 1 meter H2H setup covers 18 - 139 west. Even though the most Eastern and western sats are present on the channel file, there appears to be a bug - in the f/w that prevents the last satellite (139 west or anything below 30 west) from appearing on the list or from showing up when you press the sat or menu buttons in satellite installation to do scans. (maybe I'm missing something here...) (update: I see now it only displays satellites that have active video, so it should not say "all satelites, confusing...) For folks having C/ku setups with lots of arc visibilty these satellite and channel limitations will be severe on this receiver as they wl run out of channel memory.
2. Buggy and unreliable blind scan. Sometimes it just hangs on a scan of a sat with lots of transponders (as I'm writing this, it just hung on 81% of 121west scan). Although it appears to be improved in the last f/w (dated end of June 2023 ver 1.0.56), the tuner also still appears to go off to lala land after completing blind scans way to often, and even though pressing menu to back out and save, the video doesn't always display properly in newly found channels until turning the unit on and off or doing a hard reset. Subsequent blind scans on other sats may also not find anything until the unit is reset. My workaround is to start the blind scan from a channel that is already active on that sat, BUT thats useless on scanning new sats without active transponders found or known yet.
3. The channel editor (Ali editor) is cr*p software (and I'm being kind...) when compared to other proper channel editing software such as the old ChanneMaster, or even MediaStudio or Clarke-tech Editors which unfortunately may not be completely compatible with the type of .abs file that this receiver produces (i get invalid file or a corrupted channel list display when loading the Amiko .abs into these editors although the satellite and transponder listing from the same file are fine though...). Amiko and vendors would have less support issues if a proper editor with the usual options such as column, channel, pid, satellite sorting, etc... was made available or Amiko should debug why their .abs channel listings are corrupted when displayed in standard editing software other than Ali editor. Sadly, the software of the 1990s - like ChannelMaster, or Rod Hewitts DvbEdit & TSreader have spoiled me and are far superior to this Ali editor...
This receiver has a lot of positive aspects but if some of these issues stand unaddressed it will be frustrating for less experienced users.

 

[hdtvman]

update: the channel limitations have been somewhat lessened by manually removing all the scrambled channels on SkyMexico 78.8w that this receiver scans in as fta. To be fair that is probably a transport stream mis-reporting issue rather than the receiver wrongly identifying the channels as fta. Removing these channels was not as easy as it could have been if AliEditor had real sorting functions...

 

[hdtvman]

Ok one more pet peave... manual, Is there a real manual for this model that addresses some of the advanced functions like f/w updates, default vs user databases, channel editing, etc...
thanks goodness for the excellent posts and YouTube videos by a few of our forum members (you know who you are, lol) Many thanks, it would have been a train wreck without your info.

 

[hdtvman]

Some other random thoughts and Firmware suggestions:
1. make the default option for scan mode - blind scans - stick "free" or "ALL" so it doesn't have to be selected everytime. Make the white button default to selectable free or all choices.
2. make all the sat names appear (on the popup small menu) when you press the sat button by using a contrasting color for the ones with active channels (blue) like you do in the channel scan screen - same for the large sat screen menu that displays the orbital position.
3. change the ending scan notice from "no program found" Yes ??? to OK button.
4. More info on the blind scan BUG- after doing a blind scan the last channel active on the satellite does not return and display video (tuner is not reset ?) , no channels display video with version 1056 f/w after completing blind scan. Pressing menu and services to return to main channel display and pressing ok on remote, just moves selected channel down on the list instead of selecting and activating video. Receiver has to be reset on powered on and off after every blind scan.

 

[Jim S.]

If I'm remembering correctly, I think my Amiko Mini HD RE would either delete or refuse to display (I can't remember which) the last satellite in the list any time a satellite list was saved and re-loaded.

 

[hdtvman]

If I'm remembering correctly, I think my Amiko Mini HD RE would either delete or refuse to display (I can't remember which) the last satellite in the list any time a satellite list was saved and re-loaded.

yes, it's a very strange thing... I have a sat 139w AMC 6 on the channel file and it doesn't show up. so I manually tried to add it and when I hit ok it said something like "update existing" forgot the exact message, but it didn't add it. then I added it again as 139w AMC6 without the space in the name and it added it. was able to do a scan.etc... when I rebooted the machine, the one I added with the remote now disappeared and the one from the file now shows up! so I bet the one I added manually must be alpha betically after the one on the file and so it's now the new hidden one. So in theory, one could get the last satellite on the actual file to show up by manually adding one at the same orbital position named zzzzz. and then rebooting the machine. definitely a bug, lol...

 

[primestar31]

KE4EST

 

[hdtvman]

I can confirm that the dB file from the receiver indeed has the 2 satellite entries AMC 6 and AMC6 as expected when loaded into ali editor. however if I import the abs file into another editor such as media studio or clarktech using the edision mini preset which actually does display the channel entries more or less accurately, the last AMC6 entry is not there (my guess is Ali editor or the receiver don't make a complete last record (maybe missing a cr/lf or eol or eof marker) and that is why it doesn't show up in the receiver menu display and in the other editors. Even though these other editors can look and import the abs file, i would not trust them to try to create a non corrupt abs channel file due to some other weird data present in the fields.

 

[KE4EST]

The main thing to remember is no FTA receiver is designed for the hobbyist FTA market in the US. I have stacks of FTA receivers, mostly junk. I started carrying Amiko because they have good support and for what it is, it works for the most part. Yes, there are some annoying things with any FTA receiver that we here in NA are trying to use as a hobby.
I have agree on the editor that is used. It is very old and not updated. But in Europe, where these receivers are marked for, they actually have most stuff free, so they just scan and not worry about it. Here we have so much scrambled stuff, it would be nice to have a better editor. I have no issues running them here, but everyones use case is different.

On the manual thing, you are correct, no manual. I asked about this. They say over there it is just so second nature to use these boxes and no one uses a manual. This is why I made the YouTube videos to make things more helpful. I don't think any of the receivers that have have gotten for samples in the last few years, had an actual manual.

Make me a list of stuff within reason that you have issues with and I will get it to Amiko.

 

[hdtvman]

The main thing to remember is no FTA receiver is designed for the hobbyist FTA market in the US. I have stacks of FTA receivers, mostly junk. I started carrying Amiko because they have good support and for what it is, it works for the most part. Yes, there are some annoying things with any FTA receiver that we here in NA are trying to use as a hobby.
I have agree on the editor that is used. It is very old and not updated. But in Europe, where these receivers are marked for, they actually have most stuff free, so they just scan and not worry about it. Here we have so much scrambled stuff, it would be nice to have a better editor. I have no issues running them here, but everyones use case is different.

On the manual thing, you are correct, no manual. I asked about this. They say over there it is just so second nature to use these boxes and no one uses a manual. This is why I made the YouTube videos to make things more helpful. I don't think any of the receivers that have have gotten for samples in the last few years, had an actual manual.

Make me a list of stuff within reason that you have issues with and I will get it to Amiko.

completely agree! theres no free lunch and most of these receivers have some sort of compromise. I will do a bit more testing to be sure anything I report is a real issue and not a passing one or some other hardware or software glitch. Appreciate it!

 

[hdtvman]

UPDATE: major progress on the Amiko 4k 2sx box. So... the box I purchased apparently had corrupt firmware/channel list combo and that is why it was running out of memory, blind scan issues, and occasional freeze ups were occurring. (BTW, this box was NOT purchased from KE4EST as I did not know at the time).
This box came originally with a 2019 firmware and fairly old channel list but it had lockup issues and that's what led me to put the new f/w on it. That by itself initially did not seem to help, as I had kept the older NA list already on the box. To try to fix it, and not sure if I did this completely right, I wound up resetting the box and reloading the complete European June 2023 new firmware (updated both software and channels). Then I loaded my new ku channel list as the "user" channels, tested that all was ok, and finally made the Ku list the new default overwriting the European default channels. All remained ok. No more blind scan issues or hang ups! So the new June 2023 firmware appears safe to me now. Also, I'm not running out of memory anymore.
The remaining issues are more cosmetic but this first one should be addressed by Amiko.
---The disappearing last satellite on list problem is still present but the workaround works. I just made a "141W Do not use" as the last satellite, and while it apears in the file in Ali Editor, it remains hidden on the receiver - BUT I can add new sats anywhere else on the list and they show up fine. So something was really hosed and wrong with the box software as delivered. lesson learned: get these boxes from folks who know how to load them correctly.
---improving AliEditor for better channel management especially when it comes to sorting the channel list display is also long overdue.
--- cosmetic niceties would be to display the satellite name on the actively scanning screen, change the "nothing found" button to OK instead of YES.
Otherwise this is a great receiver.
I'll be happy to share my new ku Atlantic/NA Satlist on request if useful. it is setup for universal lnb and with no DiseqC or 12v entries. it covers 15 west thru 139 west.

 

[hdtvman]

UPDATE: major progress on the Amiko 4k 2sx box. So... the box I purchased apparently had corrupt firmware/channel list combo and that is why it was running out of memory, blind scan issues, and occasional freeze ups were occurring. (BTW, this box was NOT purchased from KE4EST as I did not know at the time).
This box came originally with a 2019 firmware and fairly old channel list but it had lockup issues and that's what led me to put the new f/w on it. That by itself initially did not seem to help, as I had kept the older NA list already on the box. To try to fix it, and not sure if I did this completely right, I wound up resetting the box and reloading the complete European June 2023 new firmware (updated both software and channels). Then I loaded my new ku channel list as the "user" channels, tested that all was ok, and finally made the Ku list the new default overwriting the European default channels. All remained ok. No more blind scan issues or hang ups! So the new June 2023 firmware appears safe to me now. Also, I'm not running out of memory anymore.
The remaining issues are more cosmetic but this first one should be addressed by Amiko.
---The disappearing last satellite on list problem is still present but the workaround works. I just made a "141W Do not use" as the last satellite, and while it apears in the file in Ali Editor, it remains hidden on the receiver - BUT I can add new sats anywhere else on the list and they show up fine. So something was really hosed and wrong with the box software as delivered. lesson learned: get these boxes from folks who know how to load them correctly.
---improving AliEditor for better channel management especially when it comes to sorting the channel list display is also long overdue.
--- cosmetic niceties would be to display the satellite name on the actively scanning screen, change the "nothing found" button to OK instead of YES.
Otherwise this is a great receiver.
I'll be happy to share my new ku Atlantic/NA Satlist on request if useful. it is setup for universal lnb and with no DiseqC or 12v entries. it covers 15 west thru 139 west.

---one more tweak for Amiko to consider in new firmware:
after completing blind scans, occasinally the box still returns to function with laggy or no video. Turning it on and off resolves the issue. So perhaps the tuner (or something else) is not getting reset correctly after the completion of the blind scans. this is with the newest version of the firmware from June 2023.

 

[KE4EST]

---one more tweak for Amiko to consider in new firmware:
after completing blind scans, occasinally the box still returns to function with laggy or no video. Turning it on and off resolves the issue. So perhaps the tuner (or something else) is not getting reset correctly after the completion of the blind scans. this is with the newest version of the firmware from June 2023.

I will let them know.
BTW, I forgot to mention the other day about your memory. Until I just seen you fixed it. But yeah, never had a memory fill up issue here. Glad you got it straightened out.