FTA HD Receivers Summary

[TuxCoder]

Like a lot of us on here, I'm really itching to get an HD capable FTA receiver. The facts on some of the units (upcoming and currently available) are a bit sketchy. So I've decided to combine the results of my research in a form that is easy to view and (sorta) easy to expand as needed. I would appreciate if you guys can correct any errors or fill in any missing information (indicated by ? in the table).

. . . . . . . . . . . Avail.___DVR____FTA HD__OTA HD__Scan______4:2:2__Approx. $__Notes
Pansat 9000 . . . . . Now . . .No . . MPEG2 . MPEG2 . No . . . .No . . $429 . . . MPEG4?
SonicView 8000 HD . . Now . . .USB . .MPEG4 . MPEG2 . "Auto" . .? . . .$519
Fortec Star Passion . "Soon" . No . . MPEG2 . No . . ."Power" . Yes . .? . . . . .MPEG4?
Coolsat 8100 HD PVR . Jul 18 . USB . .MPEG2 . MPEG4 . ? . . . . ? . . .$499
Pansat 9200 . . . . . Q4 07 . .SATA . MPEG2 . No . . .Blind . . No . . ?

Also, if anyone knows of a better way to do tables in vB let me know.

 

[dem0nlord]

Some of us have been watching HD, including 4:2:2 on the Quali-TV for a long time now. For some reason it is always left out of these discussions.

 

[grusome]

I think there are a couple of reasons the Quali TV is left out. One is no Blindscan
and price. But, yes, I agree it should be mentioned as well. From some of the things I have read here and elsewhere it is not easy to use or make changes.
But, if that is the only choice (at the time it is purchased) then it beats not having anything to view HD & 4:2:2.
grusome

 

[stogie5150]

...and some of us are watching it on a 60.00 DVB card, too. You already have the computer...put it to work.

 

[updatelee]

I think there are a couple of reasons the Quali TV is left out. One is no Blindscan
and price. But, yes, I agree it should be mentioned as well. From some of the things I have read here and elsewhere it is not easy to use or make changes.
But, if that is the only choice (at the time it is purchased) then it beats not having anything to view HD & 4:2:2.
grusome

none of the ird's on the list (that are released) have blindscan either, the two that are on the list that claim to have blindscan are not released yet therfore are just rumor what they support and what they dont.

you can get a qualitv as cheap as any of the ird's on the list if your patient and wait for a good deal.

 

[bruin95]

none of the ird's on the list (that are released) have blindscan either, the two that are on the list that claim to have blindscan are not released yet therfore are just rumor what they support and what they dont.

The Sonicview 8000 has blind scan. I can confirmed this 100% because I've seen it in person. Hands down, it's currently the best HD FTA receiver on the market right now.

 

[ChuckBoozer]

What about the Neusat HD9000? Anyone know anything about this unit? It does claim to have blind scan capabilities.

Welcome to Neusat USA

 

[RedSavina]

Like a lot of us on here, I'm really itching to get an HD capable FTA receiver. The facts on some of the units (upcoming and currently available) are a bit sketchy.

Like you, I've been trying to "keep score" on the new models and hoping for one that has the features I want. Thanks for posting the grid.

One thing I've noticed is the euro models use DVB-T for OTA while models for use in North America use 8VSB - which is MPEG2. So, in your table you may want to double-check claims of MPEG4 for OTA.

As far as FTA goes, here is my current understanding (open to corrections, of course!). DVB-S is MPEG2 only while DVB-S2 supports MPEG2 and MPEG4. As I read it, if a manufacturer claims MPEG4 for FTA then we can conclude they support DVB-S2. The problem arises when they simply claim HD FTA - one cannot determine if this means MPEG2 only (DVB-S) or MPEG2/MPEG4 (DVB-S2).

I firmly believe that the move to MPEG4 is coming for FTA. The economies of bandwidth will eventually win out - especially as HD programming becomes more prevalent and affordable.

For my research (as a resident of the US), the key items are 8VSB, DVB-S2 (4:2:2 would be nice!), PVR, and blind-scan. I find it surprising that Pansat would drop OTA when moving from model number 9000 to 9200. I went back and checked a series of emails with Pansat customer support and did not see anything mentioned about this. I fired off another email about OTA support in the 9200 and will report back when I hear a response.

Red

 

[updatelee]

the SV8000 has blindscan in the menu, but it doesnt do anything. even given the correct freq, symbol rate, and fec, it couldnt determine the polarity of the transponder, lol.

 

[RedSavina]

The following is my reply from Pansat... It answers one question, but presents another.

9200HD model is made for MPEG-2(DVB-S) only. It may be upgradable to work with MPEG-4(DVB-S2)also.

 

[Diamond Jim]

Not having blind scan on the Q is no problem. I just scan the satellite with the Satworks. When I find something I just enter the numbers into the Q. So yes, my Q has blind scan.

 

[techno935]

...and some of us are watching it on a 60.00 DVB card, too. You already have the computer...put it to work.

Your computer is your friend in this department. You can get a video card with a DVI out slot and tether it to your regular HD monitor or TV. So much for expensive HD FTA tuners.

I'm hoping for a price drop in all HD equipment. One day it will happen.

 

[john green]

Your computer is your friend in this department. You can get a video card with a DVI out slot and tether it to your regular HD monitor or TV. So much for expensive HD FTA tuners.

I'm hoping for a price drop in all HD equipment. One day it will happen.

I agree. I own nothing HD because everything will drop like a rock within the next couple of years.
For now DVB World box and PC will do.

 

[TuxCoder]

My original post is apparently too old to edit (?) so here is an updated version, changing a few things and adding a couple receivers that have been out a while.

______________________Avail.___DVR____FTA HD__OTA HD__Scan______4:2:2__Approx. $_
QualiTV QS1080IR . . .Now . . .No . . MPEG2 . No . . .No . . . .Yes . .$699
Integra IT912s . . . .Now . . .No . . MPEG2 . Yes . . Sat/TP . .No . . $699
Pansat 9000 . . . . . Now . . .No . . MPEG2 . Yes . . No . . . .No . . $429
SonicView 8000 HD . . Now . . .USB . .MPEG4 . Yes . . "Auto" . .No . . $519
Fortec Star Passion . "Soon" . No . . MPEG2 . No . . ."Power" . Yes . .?
Coolsat 8100 HD PVR . Jul 18 . USB . .MPEG2 . Yes . . ? . . . . ? . . .$499
Pansat 9200 . . . . . Q4 07 . .SATA . MPEG2 . No . . .Blind . . No . . ?
________________________________________ ________________________________________

Anole - I appreciate your suggestion to use the "code" tags, but I think I'll stick with this approach for now.

I remember stumbling across the QualiTV a little while back, but didn't realize that was readily (somewhat) available in the US. That is a very tempting unit. Lack of DVR is ok with me, and I too have another receiver capable of blind scan.

The Integra IT912s apparently also supports analog OTA/cable reception.

 

[TuxCoder]

I'll add, I've found some info on the Integra IT910s and IT910s22 (different hardware revisions). Those do not have any DiSEqC support. Otherwise they seem similar to the IT912s, including analog OTA/cable capability.

 

[RVD420]

Your computer is your friend in this department. You can get a video card with a DVI out slot and tether it to your regular HD monitor or TV. So much for expensive HD FTA tuners.

I'm hoping for a price drop in all HD equipment. One day it will happen.

21 inch PC monitor doubles nicely as a HDTV with my PCI DVB card.

 

[updatelee]

the SV8000 doesnt support 4:2:2

 

[Corrado]

How many actual HD channels are FTA at this time?

 

[grusome]

...and some of us are watching it on a 60.00 DVB card, too. You already have the computer...put it to work.

Mine was $65.00 plus tax!!
And it works pretty darn good too. BUT, I am not into dedicating a PC (at the moment) for Sat TV only. So, it's more of a toy than anything else. Besides, it
has to be wife-friendly before it enters the TV room around here!!
grusome

 

[Anole]

How many actual HD channels are FTA at this time?

I think that for the season-specific sports, there's plenty of -feeds- to keep some users happy.

It's a chicken and egg problem, at least in North America.
Ya need receivers, but to drive that market, you need source material.
If there was source that interested me, I'd be much more anxious to get a hi def FTA receiver.
...and I'd hold out for a hard drive option...

The other factor driving HD receivers, at least at this time, would be their potential for hacking.
I'll wager that accounts for somewhere between 50% and 80% of sales, at least for 2007.

I'd love to see serious HD programming become available to FTA users, but when will that actually happen?
Can you see the religious, foreign news, old movie, and other FTA services of today spending the money to upgrade?

But, that's just my opinion.