Best FTA receiver? Money no object!

[blackjackel]

I want to know what is the absolute best FTA receiver is, money is no object. (well its SOMEWHAT of an object, i just want to be able to spend money on a QUALITY pvr and not have to worry, the one I have no crashes from time to time and i woulda gladly spent an extra 50 bucks and gotten a better box if it didn't crash at all. I'm willing to get the best out there if that's what it takes to fulfill the requirements below)

It has to do the following:

- Be able to share the files it has recorded over the network somehow so files can be played on a computer on the same network.

- Be rock solid reliable, as reliable as possible. Needs to have the ability to be left alone for a month or two at a time without having to reboot it cause of a crash.


I figure there are a lot of experts here, so I will buy the most recommended box that can do those two things listed above.

 

[brentb636]

You're living in dream world , that we all wish existed.
The best current receiver is the Azbox HD Series , but it's not up to your standards. It's sluggish to the remote ( overworked, with too many concurrent tasks, I'd say) , has somewhat indifferent PVR performance , and has lots of menus to wade through ( in sluggish fashion) to get to where you want to go. With it's support of 4:2:2 chroma video ( only modern stb with that ability), it's the clear winner at being able to display what you find up there.
I expect lots of opinions will be forthcoming.

 

[stogie5150]

You're living in dream world , that we all wish existed.
The best current receiver is the Azbox HD Series , but it's not up to your standards. It's sluggish to the remote ( overworked, with too many concurrent tasks, I'd say) , has somewhat indifferent PVR performance , and has lots of menus to wade through ( in sluggish fashion) to get to where you want to go. With it's support of 4:2:2 chroma video ( only modern stb with that ability), it's the clear winner at being able to display what you find up there.
I expect lots of opinions will be forthcoming.

^^^^^^^ What he said.

 

[8valve]

I dont believe a top of the line 'home user' FTA receiver exists. You would need to go to US Made Commercial equipment to get quality. Presently, I own (2) Coolsat 5000, (1) GeoSat Pro 200 and (1) OpenboxS9. Honestly, they are all junk. Sure they get a picture, but they are all buggy. Cheap design, built in Pacific Rim countries for small bucks and sold here for large bucks. The Manuals written in Chienglish are terrible, they dont even begin to explain all features and good setups. Compare this to the earlier analog C Band receivers built by Flagship companies like Chaparral or Houston Tracker. No bugs ! Huge manuals that explain all functions in great detail. Remote controls that worked. Now, 26 years later, my Chaparral Sierra II, Cheyenne, Houston Tracker still work as they did when I bought them. Yup, the remote controls are as good as new. They would position the dish, even fine bump the dish for best signal. They even had selectable Terrestrial Microwave Interference Filters built in. Those days are gone, now we deal with Pacific Rim stuff and their Manuals. I wonder how many of todays FTA receivers will still be running strong 26 years from now LOL ! Back to topic, the least buggy current receiver I own is the Geosat Pro 200. They do make a DVR 1100c wonder how that works. 8Valve

 

[SatelliteAV]

.... A Home User top of the line STB will be available in the upcoming months, but with that tease behind us.....

8valve,

Made in the USA has little to do with producing quality..... Quality is produced when the end user will pay for it, the reseller will stock it, the developer specifies it, the hardware supports it and the manufacturer produces it. A US factory is unable to produce a competitive quality and priced product based on the current market conditions.

GEOSATpro receiver hardware and firmware is developed by Satellite AV in partnership with a Korean development company. We select the individual components and the quality of the build. A Chinese manufacturer is contracted to produce the product under direct supervision of our development partner. We provide a higher quality product primarily to support our product resellers and Glorystar retail customers. We provide direct end user support for the Glorystar customers and are committed to providing telephone support and product repair for many years. Distributing a cheaply manufactured product increases our customer support cost and the bottom line, decreases our profit!

BTW.... 11/25/2010 Download a beta firmware update (not yet publically released on the regular OTA-SSU) via OTA-SSU from Galaxy19, 11842, PID 330. (Provides faster and more accurate channel scans, ie quickly logs channels that do not include service names.)

GEOSATpro manuals are not generic documents produced at a factory. Our manuals are written and illustrated by myself. The manuals are living and growing documents that are updated for each production run to include new features and menu changes. English is my primary language and we receive regular and numerous compliments on the manual, the installation and operational documentation that we provide. I agree that most currently distributed receiver owners manuals provide minimal operation and install information, but this is one area where the GEOSATpro products excel! So much more information is available via the web than was ever available during the BUD glory days! While we cover most standard installation and operational details, we direct advanced users and hobbyist to this forum if they wish to develop their system for more that the standard fixed, one satellite installations.

The legacy analog receivers were not without their "unique operating issues". We just learned and developed work-arounds through the years. A major problem is that we were not provided management tools to manage satellite and channel changes. Satellite naming results in conversion lists taped to our receivers and the naming often dictates specific channel mapping often with unique polarity / channel combinations. I agree that most legacy analog receivers were very well built and have outlasted their intended service, but they were also designed for a different market segment and at a much higher production and resale cost. In today's dollars those legacy receivers would sell for $2000+ dollars. I think most of today's distributors would distribute a much different product if we had a market for 20 or 30 thousand receivers per year at $2000 each!

This thread is unique as most conversations are based on the lowest cost with the trade-offs vs $$$. Today's market is targeting a single satellite fixed dish system. Any development beyond this standard usage is for a small niche market. Luckily for this niche market, we have a few companies that have decision makers who are interested in advanced usage motorized and hobbyist features.

Yes, The DVR1100c is based on the same hardware and firmware, but adds record capability with an external USB hdd. Oh, it is also on sale for $105 through 1/2/2011!

Happy Holidays!

 

[Mr Tony]

I've got both a CS5000 & Geosat200 and they work great! I dont know why you say the 5000 is junk. Believe me...I've worked with some JUNK receivers
-Captiveworks
-NeoSat
-Neusat

for starters

The 1100 is the PVR version of the 200 and from what I've read it works really well. I had a Visionsat which is like the Geosat's and that receiver rocked!

 

[blackjackel]

No quality receivers today? that sucks :/

I believe one of the main points that I asked about in the original thread was completely ignored, and that is, I would like a DVR / PVR that is able to share the recordings over a home network...
Basically I want to to be able to record shows to a drive while at the same time I am able to play another show that it has recorded previously off the same drive from a computer or download it using another computer.

either by:

- Using an ethernet interface to save to a virtual drive

- Saving to a NAS drive

- Wifi? or some other method.


I did my homework and the DVR1100C dosen't do this, and I'm unclear if the AZbox does it (though it seems like it might be able to).

I've also done more research and others are saying theres one called a Dreambox that would do it too.

 

[brentb636]

Azbox will do it, since it's quite network functional. I do the opposite, in that I have a bunch of movies ( 1.5 TB at the moment) on a drive of my computer, and I watch them via the Azbox movie player.

 

[Magic Static]

The "Best bang for the buck" for me would be a "build it yourself" HTPC. Then you can pick from a plethera of software to control it just the way you like it. There are several good DVB tuners available. I find STB's to be someone else's idea of how it should work and not mine. Of course a really nice HTPC case alone can set you back $500, But if money is no object yehawwwww!!! You can build some impressive stuff.

 

[crackt]

if money is no object id look into testing some european hardware that hasnt crossed the water yet or id go with an htpc.

crackt out,.

 

[8valve]

.... A Home User top of the line STB will be available in the upcoming months, but with that tease behind us.....

8valve,

Made in the USA has little to do with producing quality..... Quality is produced when the end user will pay for it, the reseller will stock it, the developer specifies it, the hardware supports it and the manufacturer produces it. A US factory is unable to produce a competitive quality and priced product based on the current market conditions.

GEOSATpro receiver hardware and firmware is developed by Satellite AV in partnership with a Korean development company. We select the individual components and the quality of the build. A Chinese manufacturer is contracted to produce the product under direct supervision of our development partner. We provide a higher quality product primarily to support our product resellers and Glorystar retail customers. We provide direct end user support for the Glorystar customers and are committed to providing telephone support and product repair for many years. Distributing a cheaply manufactured product increases our customer support cost and the bottom line, decreases our profit!

BTW.... 11/25/2010 Download a beta firmware update (not yet publically released on the regular OTA-SSU) via OTA-SSU from Galaxy19, 11842, PID 330. (Provides faster and more accurate channel scans, ie quickly logs channels that do not include service names.)

GEOSATpro manuals are not generic documents produced at a factory. Our manuals are written and illustrated by myself. The manuals are living and growing documents that are updated for each production run to include new features and menu changes. English is my primary language and we receive regular and numerous compliments on the manual, the installation and operational documentation that we provide. I agree that most currently distributed receiver owners manuals provide minimal operation and install information, but this is one area where the GEOSATpro products excel! So much more information is available via the web than was ever available during the BUD glory days! While we cover most standard installation and operational details, we direct advanced users and hobbyist to this forum if they wish to develop their system for more that the standard fixed, one satellite installations.

The legacy analog receivers were not without their "unique operating issues". We just learned and developed work-arounds through the years. A major problem is that we were not provided management tools to manage satellite and channel changes. Satellite naming results in conversion lists taped to our receivers and the naming often dictates specific channel mapping often with unique polarity / channel combinations. I agree that most legacy analog receivers were very well built and have outlasted their intended service, but they were also designed for a different market segment and at a much higher production and resale cost. In today's dollars those legacy receivers would sell for $2000+ dollars. I think most of today's distributors would distribute a much different product if we had a market for 20 or 30 thousand receivers per year at $2000 each!

This thread is unique as most conversations are based on the lowest cost with the trade-offs vs $$$. Today's market is targeting a single satellite fixed dish system. Any development beyond this standard usage is for a small niche market. Luckily for this niche market, we have a few companies that have decision makers who are interested in advanced usage motorized and hobbyist features.

Yes, The DVR1100c is based on the same hardware and firmware, but adds record capability with an external USB hdd. Oh, it is also on sale for $105 through 1/2/2011!

Happy Holidays!

Brian; I chose poor wording in saying that the GeosatPro 200 was least buggy. Actually, its a nice receiver and works well. I have it in my office, the others are in my home and shop. In reality, I agree with most all you shared. It would not be possible to build a current FTA receiver in the design and build of the old legacy units. Times have changed, having been in Two Way communications, including Micro Wave installations for my life, I look for solid commercial type equipment. Much of what was done in hardware on the legacy receivers can now be done with software. I dont know if thats good or bad LOL. Without question, your GeosatPro 200 is the best of the receivers I own. Your remote is beautiful in size, layout and function. This is why its in my office where I use it a lot. From your post, you appear to be very dedicated to you line of equipment, thats great. I ask you to consider this, and I am not looking for a answer. In the Bud Glory Days, Chaparral and Houston Tracker to name a few, wrote their manuals considering that the user knew nothing, nothing at all. Your manual assumes the user does have some knowledge of FTA and Terms. You stated "we direct advanced users and hobbyist to this forum if they wish to develop their system for more that the standard fixed, one satellite installations." This might not be directly what you want. Its easy to get well meaning, yet poor information on the web. For example, if I was a new user, knowing nothing, your description of searching would leave me in wonder. Whats the difference in a Blind Scan, All Channel Scan. I suggest that should be explained in the manual. Can I slave two receivers together using USALS and either one drive the dish. Things like this should be covered by the manufacturer in his manual. The manuals for the Flagship Legacy receivers in the Bud Glory Days, left no stone unturned. It would require some more pages, however well worth copying their manual and adapting it to your line. Finally, your probably underpriced on a FTA, Legacy style receiver selling for $2000+. BUt believe me there is a market for such a unit. I would buy that quality in a heartbeat. In my shop, I have a Coolsat 5000 driven off a Paraclisp 12 footer, Co-rotor CU & K. Guess whats driving the Paraclisp and handling the Co-rotor, my 26 year old Chaparral Sierra II. Still works like a charm...even on analog signals. Twenty Six years, still running like new.......thats quality. If I was going to buy another FTA Receiver today, it would be the GeosatPro. If you dont have a Flagship Legacy receiver manual form the Bud Glory Days, I would be happy to loan you one. Keep up the good work. 8Valve

 

[Pixl]

.... A Home User top of the line STB will be available in the upcoming months, but with that tease behind us.....


Yes, The DVR1100c is based on the same hardware and firmware, but adds record capability with an external USB hdd. Oh, it is also on sale for $105 through 1/2/2011!

Happy Holidays!

Brian,

I really like my GeoSat 1100C, and now at $105 it is a very good value.
If your tease of what to come is a GeoSatPro with DVB-S2 and works as well as the 1100c, I can't wait to buy it!

 

[toucan-man]

.... A Home User top of the line STB will be available in the upcoming months, but with that tease behind us.....

That's all I wanted to hear. You sly fox...

 

[woodheat/nooil]

Wish Brian could have let the cat out of the bag a few days ago. I just ordered Openbox S9, now I'm trying to figure out how to get it to work in other rooms with my remote extender and it's not even hear yet.

 

[SatelliteAV]

I would always advise to buy based on what is available on the market now......

We should have had a SD/HD product in distribution but had to abandon a SD/HD project after 6 months R&D investment as it had buggy 4:2:2 decoding that had no solution. That is hard to do..... Kinda like a divorce and watching the ex drive away in the brand new F350 with the kids and towing your boat with a flat tire..... LOL!

We will continue to improve the manuals. I agree that the legacy manuals were one stop information centers. Something to strive towards.

I would expect home network recording sharing and OTT internet widgets to be the norm for any networked STB receiver....

 

[blackjackel]

Azbox will do it, since it's quite network functional. I do the opposite, in that I have a bunch of movies ( 1.5 TB at the moment) on a drive of my computer, and I watch them via the Azbox movie player.

As of right now the only box that has been recommended that can do the things I ask has been your AZbox Idea and the dreambox i found, so so far I'm leaning for hte AZbox, but what you said about menu sluggishness is shying me away from it.

I own a time warner cable box with a menu that sometimes decides not to respond to me, rather seeking the approval of the remote god before carrying out any command I give it... and that remote god sometimes decides not to grant my cable box approval for several minutes at a time... and it drives me INSANE!

I noticed that thing has a TON of features, what if i were to turn all of them off and use only the features I'm interested in, would it still continue to be slow?

Edit: Just went to see what the best azbox is and thats the AZbox premium HD+ (i think)

Unfortunately I can't find anywhere that's selling them inside the United States...

I found it overseas for 390 euro, now I know I said money was no object, but 390 euro is going to be something like 650 bucks or something like that...
I'm not going to pay up the butt simply because I'm paying through deflated currency, if this sold inside the US they'd prolly sell it for 390 US dollars...

I'll be searching for US distributers in the meantime.

 

[blackjackel]

As of right now the only box that has been recommended that can do the things I ask has been your AZbox Idea and the dreambox i found, so so far I'm leaning for hte AZbox, but what you said about menu sluggishness is shying me away from it.

I own a time warner cable box with a menu that sometimes decides not to respond to me, rather seeking the approval of the remote god before carrying out any command I give it... and that remote god sometimes decides not to grant my cable box approval for several minutes at a time... and it drives me INSANE!

I noticed that thing has a TON of features, what if i were to turn all of them off and use only the features I'm interested in, would it still continue to be slow?

Edit: Just went to see what the best azbox is and thats the AZbox premium HD+ (i think)

Unfortunately I can't find anywhere that's selling them inside the United States...

I found it overseas for 390 euro, now I know I said money was no object, but 390 euro is going to be something like 650 bucks or something like that...
I'm not going to pay up the butt simply because I'm paying through deflated currency, if this sold inside the US they'd prolly sell it for 390 US dollars...

I'll be searching for US distributers in the meantime.

Just found a US destributor, its gona cost $380 bucks...

I was gonna bite untill i went around and looked up some reviews of the box, and they all complained of lagging menus, freezing when going between channels, and crashing.... How is this the current best box?

The reviews make me not want to touch this thing with a 10 foot pole!

 

[stanleyjohn]

At the moment it looks like the AZbox is the best equipt satellite receiver you can buy even with its bugs.I have yet seen any receiver sold that dosnt have bugs and shortfalls.If you do find one please let us all know about it.

 

[mr3p]

- Be rock solid reliable, as reliable as possible. Needs to have the ability to be left alone for a month or two at a time without having to reboot it cause of a crash.

Without a question the model you want is the Fantasy 2011 HD Pro quad tuner PVR

 

[toucan-man]

The FTA crowd loves a better mousetrap. May 2011 be a very interesting year.