AZBox Premium HD + will it work with VBoxIII & Actuator?

[jsattv]

I have been doing a lot of Research on the AZBox Receivers and am just about decided on ordering a AZBox Premium HD + for being able to receive C & KU Band Satellites and especially HD Channels. My major concerns are:

Will the AZBox Premium HD + work with my current setup re my 12 Ft Mesh Dish which I currently control with a VBox III and a Von Weise Actuator? I use a Uniden 9900 Receiver for Polorotor Control and store all Ku and C Band Sats on my ancient Viewsat Xtreme Receiver.

I have read that there is a Hardware Blind Scan on the AZBox Premium + does anyone know if it has or needs a cooling Fan? Are the External Power Supply Problems resolved with the AZBox Premium +??

Will I be able to pick up the Sats & channels that are AC3 audio encoded that I cannot pick up on my Viewsat Receiver?

Lastly when I scan in my Sats on the Current setup I choose DisEQC 1.0 and select Port 1 for KU Band and Port 2 for C Band, will this be a problem with the AZBox Premium +?

Any replies would be very much appreciated.

 

[beavs2112]

Hi jsattv I cannot guarantee you'll be completely 100% happy if you decide to buy a premium + but i will give you my recent limited experience with my AZBox. Do you need the plus for a reason. You could save a few bucks and get the other blindscan model without the wifi and buy a new lnbf. I purchased a premium + for the wifi and 4:2:2 functions a couple of weeks ago. i had an old analog receiver with a chapparal polorotor so i purchased a new lnbf to eliminate having to use the old analog equipment on my BUD and be stuck with another remote. i was SO happy when i saw a picture on those 4:2:2 HD channels that my Pansat wouldn't do the AZ was well worth it. In fact I have cancelled my cable tv and are still plenty entertained. For me saving 50 Canadian dollars a month is well worth the minor problems with the AZ. I think the PVR function still has limitations like playin back hi bitrate recordings so i wouldn't compare it dierectly to your bell 9200.

"Will the AZBox Premium HD + work with my current setup re my 12 Ft Mesh Dish which I currently control with a VBox III and a Von Weise Actuator? I use a Uniden 9900 Receiver for Polorotor Control and store all Ku and C Band Sats on my ancient Viewsat Xtreme Receiver." I think you will have to slave the uniden. if you buy a new lnbf you won't need the uniden. i bought a VBOX-X and i'm happy with it. For me the convenience of having one receiver and remote was more important than the 100 canadian bucks i spent on a new lbf and VBOX. My AZ does weird stuff like set the lower actuator SW limit after i blindscan but i can live with that. some others members here have had problems but i don't think all of them have been the AZ's fault. some problems might be poor connections and wiring issues. Also I highly recommend reading the sticky threads in this forum on SW updates and channel backups. Thanks again to AW Radar for those

I have read that there is a Hardware Blind Scan on the AZBox Premium + does anyone know if it has or needs a cooling Fan? Are the External Power Supply Problems resolved with the AZBox Premium +?? The PP does have a hardware blindscan. Howver it seems slow and may miss some channels that need to be entered manually. It has a small internal cooling fan that draws air out of the box where the internal HDD goes. It still is warm to the touch but mine hasn't locked up once uinlike my Pansat. i think the power supply problem weren't all the fault of the unit. It seems some people had problems due to where there power supply is mounted. For example if it is in a fully enclosed cabinet in a room that doesn't have air conditioning it might fail.

Will I be able to pick up the Sats & channels that are AC3 audio encoded that I cannot pick up on my Viewsat Receiver? Do you have a surround sound receiver that decodes AC3? If not i think there is some external box that does it for you. Do a search on this site i think it's called a VOOM box.

Lastly when I scan in my Sats on the Current setup I choose DisEQC 1.0 and select Port 1 for KU Band and Port 2 for C Band, will this be a problem with the AZBox Premium +? i am running the 5020 SW and i have a EMP Centauri Diseq switch on my ku dish and it works great.

 

[jsattv]

Hi jsattv I cannot guarantee you'll be completely 100% happy if you decide to buy a premium + but i will give you my recent limited experience with my AZBox. Do you need the plus for a reason. You could save a few bucks and get the other blindscan model without the wifi and buy a new lnbf. I purchased a premium + for the wifi and 4:2:2 functions a couple of weeks ago. i had an old analog receiver with a chapparal polorotor so i purchased a new lnbf to eliminate having to use the old analog equipment on my BUD and be stuck with another remote. i was SO happy when i saw a picture on those 4:2:2 HD channels that my Pansat wouldn't do the AZ was well worth it. In fact I have cancelled my cable tv and are still plenty entertained. For me saving 50 Canadian dollars a month is well worth the minor problems with the AZ. I think the PVR function still has limitations like playin back hi bitrate recordings so i wouldn't compare it dierectly to your bell 9200.

"Will the AZBox Premium HD + work with my current setup re my 12 Ft Mesh Dish which I currently control with a VBox III and a Von Weise Actuator? I use a Uniden 9900 Receiver for Polorotor Control and store all Ku and C Band Sats on my ancient Viewsat Xtreme Receiver." I think you will have to slave the uniden. if you buy a new lnbf you won't need the uniden. i bought a VBOX-X and i'm happy with it. For me the convenience of having one receiver and remote was more important than the 100 canadian bucks i spent on a new lbf and VBOX. My AZ does weird stuff like set the lower actuator SW limit after i blindscan but i can live with that. some others members here have had problems but i don't think all of them have been the AZ's fault. some problems might be poor connections and wiring issues. Also I highly recommend reading the sticky threads in this forum on SW updates and channel backups. Thanks again to AW Radar for those

I have read that there is a Hardware Blind Scan on the AZBox Premium + does anyone know if it has or needs a cooling Fan? Are the External Power Supply Problems resolved with the AZBox Premium +?? The PP does have a hardware blindscan. Howver it seems slow and may miss some channels that need to be entered manually. It has a small internal cooling fan that draws air out of the box where the internal HDD goes. It still is warm to the touch but mine hasn't locked up once uinlike my Pansat. i think the power supply problem weren't all the fault of the unit. It seems some people had problems due to where there power supply is mounted. For example if it is in a fully enclosed cabinet in a room that doesn't have air conditioning it might fail.

Will I be able to pick up the Sats & channels that are AC3 audio encoded that I cannot pick up on my Viewsat Receiver? Do you have a surround sound receiver that decodes AC3? If not i think there is some external box that does it for you. Do a search on this site i think it's called a VOOM box.

Lastly when I scan in my Sats on the Current setup I choose DisEQC 1.0 and select Port 1 for KU Band and Port 2 for C Band, will this be a problem with the AZBox Premium +? i am running the 5020 SW and i have a EMP Centauri Diseq switch on my ku dish and it works great.

Beavs2112, thanks a lot for your time re your great detailed reply. Were you able to purchase your AZBox in Ontario, because there are no Distributors I know of in Manitoba for AZBox? There is a good discussion of the various AZBox models on "Ricks Satellite" Web page so if not the Premium HD + then Maybe I'll go for the Elite HD, since I definately need to Blindscan in the Sats as I do now.

Sorry but I'm not sure what you mean re buying a new LNB to eliminate my Uniden 9900 for Polorotor Control. Maybe I'm not understanding what you are saying. Re my LNB's - I currently have a newly purchased (from Rick's Satellite) Norsat 4506A for Ku Band and Norsat 8515C for C Band, they are mounted via my Chaparrel Co-Rotor II, on my Mesh Dish see attached pics. What LNB would be recommended to make it better?

Sounds like I will be able to pull in more channels with the AZBox units, but if they do NOT decode AC-3 re audio which most new Receivers do, then that is a dissapointment as the new Pansat 9200 definately does. I like the Cleveland sports channel on 121.0W Sports Time Ohio, but I can't hear it because it is AC-3 decoded. Thanks for the info on searching the threads especially on this site re the various info & problems with AZBox, there seems to have been many problems with the External Power Supply on the Premium HD + but maybe they are now resolved. All of my connections seem to be well re compression connections and newer cable but I sure hope that my Actuator & VBoxIII setup will work with the AZBox.

 

[beavs2112]

Beavs2112, thanks a lot for your time re your great detailed reply.

You're welcome.

"Were you able to purchase your AZBox in Ontario, because there are no Distributors I know of in Manitoba for AZBox? "

No i couldn't find an ontario distributor. I bought mine online from azbox-usa. Rick's has great service from what i've read.

"Sorry but I'm not sure what you mean re buying a new LNB to eliminate my Uniden 9900 for Polorotor Control. Maybe I'm not understanding what you are saying. Re my LNB's - I currently have a newly purchased (from Rick's Satellite) Norsat 4506A for Ku Band and Norsat 8515C for C Band, they are mounted via my Chaparrel Co-Rotor II, on my Mesh Dish see attached pics. What LNB would be recommended to make it better?"

From what I've read Norsat's are great LNB's so it would be VERY expensive to get a better one if one exists. Since you just bought them and they are good I would recommend keeping them. It means you'll have to keep your Uniden hooked up to the polarotor. Basically though you're just going to replace your viewsat extreme with the az.

What I meant was if you bought a different feedhorn/lnb assembly you could replace both the uniden AND extreme with just the az. But since the norsats are great i recommend keep using them. it just means you will still need to use the uniden.


"Sounds like I will be able to pull in more channels with the AZBox units, but if they do NOT decode AC-3 re audio which most new Receivers do, then that is a dissapointment as the new Pansat 9200 definately does. I like the Cleveland sports channel on 121.0W Sports Time Ohio, but I can't hear it because it is AC-3 decoded. Thanks for the info on searching the threads especially on this site re the various info & problems with AZBox, there seems to have been many problems with the External Power Supply on the Premium HD + but maybe they are now resolved. All of my connections seem to be well re compression connections and newer cable but I sure hope that my Actuator & VBoxIII setup will work with the AZBox."

AC-3 is dolby Digital I think so if your audio/video receiver or tv does Dolby digital you should be ok. what do you use now to hear the sound? your tv or a audio/video receiver? you'll need a new cable to connect the az to your audio/video receiver or tv.

as for the cleveland sports channel audio most sat channels that have ac-3 also have a regular 2 channel left/right stereo signal also. i can't confirm the cleveland channel for you cause there is 2 huge maple trees in the way of my dish for that sat. check on your viewsat extreme remote for an audio button. on my az it's called a language button. (sorry i'm not familiar with the extreme) if it does have one press it when your are tuned to the cleveland sports channel and it should list 2 audio channels. one should be the ac-3 audio and the other is the regular stereo audio. try using the up or down arrow button on the remote to move to the regular audio channel and hopefully you get some audio. although some sportscasters deserve to be silent! lol just kidding

 

[jsattv]

Beavs2112, thanks a lot for your time re your great detailed reply.

You're welcome.

"Were you able to purchase your AZBox in Ontario, because there are no Distributors I know of in Manitoba for AZBox? "

No i couldn't find an ontario distributor. I bought mine online from azbox-usa. Rick's has great service from what i've read.

"Sorry but I'm not sure what you mean re buying a new LNB to eliminate my Uniden 9900 for Polorotor Control. Maybe I'm not understanding what you are saying. Re my LNB's - I currently have a newly purchased (from Rick's Satellite) Norsat 4506A for Ku Band and Norsat 8515C for C Band, they are mounted via my Chaparrel Co-Rotor II, on my Mesh Dish see attached pics. What LNB would be recommended to make it better?"

From what I've read Norsat's are great LNB's so it would be VERY expensive to get a better one if one exists. Since you just bought them and they are good I would recommend keeping them. It means you'll have to keep your Uniden hooked up to the polarotor. Basically though you're just going to replace your viewsat extreme with the az.

What I meant was if you bought a different feedhorn/lnb assembly you could replace both the uniden AND extreme with just the az. But since the norsats are great i recommend keep using them. it just means you will still need to use the uniden.


"Sounds like I will be able to pull in more channels with the AZBox units, but if they do NOT decode AC-3 re audio which most new Receivers do, then that is a dissapointment as the new Pansat 9200 definately does. I like the Cleveland sports channel on 121.0W Sports Time Ohio, but I can't hear it because it is AC-3 decoded. Thanks for the info on searching the threads especially on this site re the various info & problems with AZBox, there seems to have been many problems with the External Power Supply on the Premium HD + but maybe they are now resolved. All of my connections seem to be well re compression connections and newer cable but I sure hope that my Actuator & VBoxIII setup will work with the AZBox."

AC-3 is dolby Digital I think so if your audio/video receiver or tv does Dolby digital you should be ok. what do you use now to hear the sound? your tv or a audio/video receiver? you'll need a new cable to connect the az to your audio/video receiver or tv.

as for the cleveland sports channel audio most sat channels that have ac-3 also have a regular 2 channel left/right stereo signal also. i can't confirm the cleveland channel for you cause there is 2 huge maple trees in the way of my dish for that sat. check on your viewsat extreme remote for an audio button. on my az it's called a language button. (sorry i'm not familiar with the extreme) if it does have one press it when your are tuned to the cleveland sports channel and it should list 2 audio channels. one should be the ac-3 audio and the other is the regular stereo audio. try using the up or down arrow button on the remote to move to the regular audio channel and hopefully you get some audio. although some sportscasters deserve to be silent! lol just kidding

Thanks Beavs2112, my newer HDTV is a 50 inch Panasonic so it likely does support Dolby Digital sound - think it does for my Bell Receiver, but I think the Viewsat Xtreme does not, but I'll check it out. That Cleveland Sports Channel on 121.0W has an HD Channel that I can't get as well as the AC-3 audio channel with no sound but with the good picture. So as you mentioned I'll likely do a Viewsat replacement with the AZBox and hope that all goes well re the Actuator, VBoxIII , and Uniden RX for Polorotor control, and a tedious long rescan of all the C and KU Band Satellites.

I understand that the AZBox doesn't list or differientiate between C and KU Band Satellites so I hope that the Satellite list: http//satellites-xml.eu/ mentioned on another post here works. Did you try to Download & install this Sat List? Also does some type of null modem cable come with your AZBox for Software Downloads? Now I need to checkout AZBox pricing and shipping costs to Canada at a couple of sites.

 

[crackt]

jsattv, the azbox is a really powerful box. it is really meant to be a networked appliance that can do satellite tv. it can do alot of things like play almost every video format, music, youtube, etc over a home lan. becuz it is so feature packt it does have some bugs. most of the bugs seem to be related to the extra features. my elite has been frustrating at times but once i figured out how to coexist with it, it is liveable.

as for slaving your analog reciever to control the polarity... id definately recomend a dual output cband lnbf such as a gospell GCF- D12T , or a geosatpro C2. they will eliminate the need to control polarity with another remote and allow you to eventually use a multiswitch to cable more dishes up to your BUD. using the vbox to control it youd eventually be able to use one remote. this scenario only works if your not using your big dish for ku. if you are id go with your scenario with the polorator.

happy scanning

crackt out,.

 

[jsattv]

jsattv, the azbox is a really powerful box. it is really meant to be a networked appliance that can do satellite tv. it can do alot of things like play almost every video format, music, youtube, etc over a home lan. becuz it is so feature packt it does have some bugs. most of the bugs seem to be related to the extra features. my elite has been frustrating at times but once i figured out how to coexist with it, it is liveable.

as for slaving your analog reciever to control the polarity... id definately recomend a dual output cband lnbf such as a gospell GCF- D12T , or a geosatpro C2. they will eliminate the need to control polarity with another remote and allow you to eventually use a multiswitch to cable more dishes up to your BUD. using the vbox to control it youd eventually be able to use one remote. this scenario only works if your not using your big dish for ku. if you are id go with your scenario with the polorator.

happy scanning

crackt out,.

Thanks a lot for the detailed info Crackt. I'm definately looking so far to receive Both Ku as well as C Band - hopefully with the AZBox. This was why I picked up and installed the used 12 Ft Mesh Dish & Uniden 9900 Receiver and its outboard Power Supply, ie so I wouldn't have to bother with Multiple Dishes. But After reading all the comments in the DisEQ 1.2 thread here I am not so sure the AZBox will control the Dish for BOTH C and KU Band Sats with my current setup. I mean with my old ViewSat Rx the control is now almost flawless with the Dish easily reaching from 55.0W over to 121.0W with absolutely no problems whatsoever. Just punch in the channel number and the Dish drives to that Satellite. The only major problem with the Viewsat is that about once a year or year and a half it gets a memory block/ loss problem and you have to reset and rescan in everything - very annoying. As mentioned with Beavs1212 I am currently looking just to replace my ViewSat Rx with the AZBox - if it will work as well.

Crackt, are you saying I may have some major hiccups with AZBox for these Basic Functions with VBoxIII, Actuator, and Uniden 9900 RX for Polorotor Control? I would like to get HD channels but if I am going to have a lot of problems ........now I am wondering if its worth it!!

 

[beavs2112]

Hi jsattv. beautiful dish and lnbf's by the way. I'll try my best to answer your questions.


"Crackt, are you saying I may have some major hiccups with AZBox for these Basic Functions with VBoxIII, Actuator, and Uniden 9900 RX for Polorotor Control? I would like to get HD channels but if I am going to have a lot of problems ........now I am wondering if its worth it!!?

crackt gives good advice as usual and I don't think he's trying to say you're gonna run into major problems. I can't speak for him obviously but I think he's just pointing out the fact that no FTA receiver or any electronic equipent does everything perfectly 100% of the time. nothing does.

"I understand that the AZBox doesn't list or differientiate between C and KU Band Satellites so I hope that the Satellite list: http//satellites-xml.eu/ mentioned on another post here works. Did you try to Download & install this Sat List? Also does some type of null modem cable come with your AZBox for Software Downloads?"

i haven't tried that list. due to the fact that the website URL http//satellites-xml.eu/ has eu at the end that means European Union ie Europe. I haven't even been to that website or read that post but chances are good that list has all the European sats which we can't see in North America. Therefore it might be useless to us in the new world. My AZ already came with a sat list but i erased half of them since i can't see those sats due to my neighbors trees Also i recommend reading this thread to learn about how to get the AZ working well with your sat list etc. http://www.satelliteguys.us/azbox-d...ootcamp-workaround-software-problems-use.html If you follow those guidelines you probably won't have to reset tha AZ every 1.5 years and re-scan everything like you do now with the extreme.

No my AZ didn't come with a null modem cable. Not to alarm you but my AZ didn't even come with a manual This site has the Elite And Premium versions manual in the FTA Manuals section so it wasn't a huge deal breaker for me.

I downloaded the latest AZ SW 5020 to my computer then onto a USB memory stick and loaded it into the AZ that way. The info on that procedure is in AcWxRadar's sticky thread at the top of this section in this sub-forum. Also the AZ can download new softwarew to itself via the internet.

"I would like to get HD channels but if I am going to have a lot of problems ........now I am wondering if its worth it!!?"

I don't think you'll have a lot of problems and in my humble opinion HD channels are worth a few minor glitches. I obviously can't speak for other members setups but my AZ works quite well with my VBOX-X and Von Wiese Actuator for c-band channels. Since your current setup works well for c and ku that shouldn't change since you're only probably replacing the viewsat. Your Uniden and actuator is controlling where your dish moves to. that isn't gonna change. When I change channels it goes to the exact actuator count number stops there and the channel comes in. It doesn't stop before the right spot or after the right spot or or just keep on moving all the way west or east. I think an AZ/uniden/vbox combo should work well for you. don't forget some people reporting problems in other threads are probably using their AZ's with older versions of SW.


cheers!

Kevin

 

[crackt]

i guess what i was saying is that most of the azbox bugs seem to be setup specific. what is working for me may not be reproduced by others an vice versa. if your setup is working fine now, and all youd like to do is add hd and 4:2: 2 capabilities it will probly work fine for you as well. ill assure you that i have no issues what so ever with diseqc 1.2. i use 2 positioners with my azbox. one moves my 10 ft mesh and one moves my 1m channelmaster dish i polar mounted. it does appear that users have issues when attempting to use diseqc 1.2 and usals at the same time but this scenario never needs to be used as ku hh motors can be used with diseqc 1.2 as well. another benefit of the azbox is that it is able to switch diseqc 1.1 arrays, something that most other recievers fail at. id also probly recommend the ultra. its cheaper to add wifi and an external hdd if and when you need them.

crackt out,.

 

[pwrsurge]

Beavs2112, thanks a lot for your time re your great detailed reply. Were you able to purchase your AZBox in Ontario, because there are no Distributors I know of in Manitoba for AZBox?

Currently, the only Canadian AzBox distributor is Dr. Sat. They are located in Ontario and can be contacted on their website at http://www.drsat.ca

Sounds like I will be able to pull in more channels with the AZBox units, but if they do NOT decode AC-3 re audio which most new Receivers do, then that is a dissapointment as the new Pansat 9200 definately does.

As most HD FTA receivers do, I can confirm that all AzBox HD receivers do in fact decode AC3 audio internally. The audio is output off the RCA audio output jacks if you don't have an A/V surround sound system to do the job for you.

 

[jsattv]

Hi jsattv. beautiful dish and lnbf's by the way. I'll try my best to answer your questions.


"Crackt, are you saying I may have some major hiccups with AZBox for these Basic Functions with VBoxIII, Actuator, and Uniden 9900 RX for Polorotor Control? I would like to get HD channels but if I am going to have a lot of problems ........now I am wondering if its worth it!!?

crackt gives good advice as usual and I don't think he's trying to say you're gonna run into major problems. I can't speak for him obviously but I think he's just pointing out the fact that no FTA receiver or any electronic equipent does everything perfectly 100% of the time. nothing does.

"I understand that the AZBox doesn't list or differientiate between C and KU Band Satellites so I hope that the Satellite list: http//satellites-xml.eu/ mentioned on another post here works. Did you try to Download & install this Sat List? Also does some type of null modem cable come with your AZBox for Software Downloads?"

i haven't tried that list. due to the fact that the website URL http//satellites-xml.eu/ has eu at the end that means European Union ie Europe. I haven't even been to that website or read that post but chances are good that list has all the European sats which we can't see in North America. Therefore it might be useless to us in the new world. My AZ already came with a sat list but i erased half of them since i can't see those sats due to my neighbors trees Also i recommend reading this thread to learn about how to get the AZ working well with your sat list etc. http://www.satelliteguys.us/azbox-d...ootcamp-workaround-software-problems-use.html If you follow those guidelines you probably won't have to reset tha AZ every 1.5 years and re-scan everything like you do now with the extreme.

No my AZ didn't come with a null modem cable. Not to alarm you but my AZ didn't even come with a manual This site has the Elite And Premium versions manual in the FTA Manuals section so it wasn't a huge deal breaker for me.

I downloaded the latest AZ SW 5020 to my computer then onto a USB memory stick and loaded it into the AZ that way. The info on that procedure is in AcWxRadar's sticky thread at the top of this section in this sub-forum. Also the AZ can download new softwarew to itself via the internet.

"I would like to get HD channels but if I am going to have a lot of problems ........now I am wondering if its worth it!!?"

I don't think you'll have a lot of problems and in my humble opinion HD channels are worth a few minor glitches. I obviously can't speak for other members setups but my AZ works quite well with my VBOX-X and Von Wiese Actuator for c-band channels. Since your current setup works well for c and ku that shouldn't change since you're only probably replacing the viewsat. Your Uniden and actuator is controlling where your dish moves to. that isn't gonna change. When I change channels it goes to the exact actuator count number stops there and the channel comes in. It doesn't stop before the right spot or after the right spot or or just keep on moving all the way west or east. I think an AZ/uniden/vbox combo should work well for you. don't forget some people reporting problems in other threads are probably using their AZ's with older versions of SW.


cheers!

Kevin

Thanks for comments on my Mesh Dish & LNB's Kevin, and your great info again. I checked out that European Sat List site and it looks like it Lists every Satelite out there in Europe as well as in North & South America, looks like you just check off the Sats of your choice - then download your customized list?? Wonder if it works well since I will be scanning in BOTH C and KU Band Sats?

As you noted I'll mainly just be replacing the ViewSat RX and rescanning again.

Think I'll take the plunge for AZBox just need to choose who to buy from. Looks like choices are Dr. Sat in Ontario Canada, and AZBox USA, and Rick's Satellite who I have previously had good results from.

 

[jsattv]

i guess what i was saying is that most of the azbox bugs seem to be setup specific. what is working for me may not be reproduced by others an vice versa. if your setup is working fine now, and all youd like to do is add hd and 4:2: 2 capabilities it will probly work fine for you as well. ill assure you that i have no issues what so ever with diseqc 1.2. i use 2 positioners with my azbox. one moves my 10 ft mesh and one moves my 1m channelmaster dish i polar mounted. it does appear that users have issues when attempting to use diseqc 1.2 and usals at the same time but this scenario never needs to be used as ku hh motors can be used with diseqc 1.2 as well. another benefit of the azbox is that it is able to switch diseqc 1.1 arrays, something that most other recievers fail at. id also probly recommend the ultra. its cheaper to add wifi and an external hdd if and when you need them.

crackt out,.

Thanks a lot for the great info crackt, I know I wont be using disEQC 1.2 and USALS at the same time. I'll checkout the price of the Ultra hopefully it has HD and Blindscan?

 

[jsattv]

Currently, the only Canadian AzBox distributor is Dr. Sat. They are located in Ontario and can be contacted on their website at http://www.drsat.ca



As most HD FTA receivers do, I can confirm that all AzBox HD receivers do in fact decode AC3 audio internally. The audio is output off the RCA audio output jacks if you don't have an A/V surround sound system to do the job for you.

Thanks for the AC3 info pwrsurge, I was hoping the AZBox receivers decoded AC3 audio. Also good info on Dr.Sat in Oakville, Ontario re Canadian AZBox distributer, I wondered if they charged for shipping so I sent them an email.

 

[jsattv]

Well I'm exited, after a lot of research I took the plunge today & ordered the AZBox Premium HD + (with a new batch Power Supply) from Ricks today for only $10.00 more for shipping to Canada. I know it will be a whole new learning curve but I guess that's what it's all about! Now hopefully I will be able to replace my ancient Viewsat Xtreme Rx.

 

[Gordon Corbett]

Well I'm exited, after a lot of research I took the plunge today & ordered the AZBox Premium HD + (with a new batch Power Supply) from Ricks today for only $10.00 more for shipping to Canada. I know it will be a whole new learning curve but I guess that's what it's all about! Now hopefully I will be able to replace my ancient Viewsat Xtreme Rx.

Dear JSATTV,

I too am considering the purchase of an AZ Box Premium HD Plus, but I will probably have to wait until after we pay off our new car.

I telephoned Mr. Rick Caylor the other day and had a pleasant conversation with him. He really knows his onions. One of the subjects I discussed with him is the orthomode feedhorn. Orthomode feedhorns let a user receive a satellite's channels without regard to polarity, obviating the odd-even two-step, doing away with controlling "skew," and brightening the whole MPEG-2/DVB experience. That is the good news. The bad news is that orthomode feedhorns are a tad pricey. So are the two more Norsat LNBs and some other gear that Mr. Caylor mentioned.

Mr. Caylor's orthomode feedhorns are Chaparrals. From what I have read in users' forums like this one, your money would not be wasted, because Chaparral products work well.

I hasten to add that I may have misremembered some of the facts I stated in this message, so please call Mr. Caylor to verify them.

Please keep us prospective AZ Box Premium HD Plus customers informed of the experiences you have with your new machine.

Thanks.

Sincerely,

Gordon F. Corbett

 

[jsattv]

Gordon, the AZbox has some quirks but does indeed work well with the Actuator Dish Mover, V Box III, and Mesh Dish on DiSEqC 1.2. It has a tendensy to set in East or West Limits when scanning in Satellites, but these can be removed - by resetting Limits. That being said I can say that the AZbox Premium Plus is the Best Sat Receiver I have ever owned. Yes those Orthomode LNB's can be pricey, I use 2 Norsat LNB's for KU and C Band and an old Uniden 9900 Analog Receiver to change from V & H Polarity. Good luck & Rick is a good guy to deal with.

 

[Gordon Corbett]

Dear JSATTV,

Congratulations on your new AZ Box Premium HD Plus.

We have "slaved" our Pansat 9200HD to our DSR-920 4DTV receiver. Sadly, the Pansat's tendency to "freeze up" has blighted the MPEG-2/DVB experience for me. Do you think that if we were to switch the Pansat for an AZ Box Premium HD Plus, that we would probably enjoy watching MPEG-2/DVB more than we do now? Has your new AZ Box "frozen up"?

Without mentioning satellites' or channels' names, please tell me if you think that an AZ Box Premium HD Plus would let me watch MPEG-4/DVB broadcasts. I think that I have seen listings for some in Lyngsat. Would our ten-foot mesh dish give an AZ enough oomph to let us watch these channels?

If I understand you correctly, you said in your message that your machine tends to set new East or West limits spontaneously. This puzzles me. We set our 920's azimuth limits; and, because no receiver we connect to it can affect these limits, none has given us trouble. Nevertheless, does your AZ Box control your V Box III, including the setting of limits? I would have thought that you would set the V Box III's limits, and the AZ would then operate within them.

Congratulations again on your new machine!

Thanks.

Gordon

 

[stargaze]

I would suggest before you purchase the Azbox to download and read carefully the guide that is posted here:

http://www.satelliteguys.us/azbox-discussion/232104-z-users-guide-azbox.html#post2383667

The Azbox is a fine receiver but if your looking for something that is trouble free your out of luck. You will have to learn it's quirks and figure out the way you want it for your set-up.
Will it work? Yes!
Will you encounter some problem? Yes!
Is the receiver perfect right out of the box? No!
Are you willing to figure things out on your own? If yes then you will be fine.

I own 3 of these receivers and would not change that, but it is only fair to give you the real truth and let you make your own decision.
I use my receivers as slaves and others use them to move their dishes, either way the receiver will do what it is meant to do but don't look for the manual (if you can find one) to be of much help.

If you remember this is a hobby and not just clicking on a remote to watch a channel then you will be fine.

 

[Gordon Corbett]

Your Americanization Procedure

Dear STARGAZE,

It certainly seems that you have worked out to a gnat's eyelash how to "Americanize" an AZ Box, almost certainly including an AZ Box Premium HD Plus.

Sadly, you may have persuaded me not to buy one, because I own an Apple Macintosh G5 PPC from 2005. For it, your meticulous instructions for a "Wintel" PC are useless.

Now, if someone can give me a program built for my Macintosh......

Drat!

Sincerely,

Gordon

 

[abeorch]

A definate requirement is to get a copy of MAz the manager software for Azbox (V3.2.0.0 is the latest one I have). It automatically downloads satellite channels and you can edit favourites all from your PC - Once you have set the Azbox up on your wireless or wired network. - You will need the wired network to stream HD video off the box to a PC or from a PC to the Box.