newbe , needing help

[BRETThedtke]

I HAVE some questions, i want to get away from direct tv , looking at these systems, mercury 2 / traxis 3500 / nuesat 9000 / pansat 9200 /sonicview 8000 / viewsat 9000 / visionsat iv 200 . which would be the best for the $
1. are there enough hd channels to go with hd for the price difference ?
or for my 1st system which is best.
2, going motorized, is ku all i would need ?
3, pvr would be nice also
4. which lnb is best , dual linear fta lnb or invacom quad linear &circular lnb

any help making up my mind what system to get would be appreciated.
thanks brett

 

[dashaund]

Wow, lots of questions... First off, not much HD with any of those boxes. For HD, you're going to need a PCI card that you put in your computer, because many HD wild feeds are encoded in 4:2:2 HD any to my knowledge, no commonly offered set top box will do 4:2:2. Don't worry, they're not expensive. Since you have an HDTV, you can run the computer into a DVI or HDMI port as long as your computer has DVI out. Now, be aware, 4:2:2 HD can eat your lunch as far as CPU goes...anything less than a P4 (or comparable) won't satisfy it's cravings. Depending on what you're watching is to whether Ku is all you need. Check out 4DTV to see if they offer enough stuff for you to choose C-Band as well, if you're after commerical programming. Honestly, if you're just a casual TV watcher, Ku may not be interesting, since, unless you watch ethnic or religious programming, there's not a lot of commerical stuff to watch. If you're a sports fanatic, like me, then you will have plenty of sports feeds to choose from (mostly college sports though). As far as LNBs go, hands down, the Invacom QPH-031 kicks butt. If you're confused as to what a "wild feed" is, it's a signal that is used to transport a signal from one place to another, and not intended for end users to watch...but since it's not encrypted and we have the equipment to "catch" it, we can view it. Last I checked, 90% of all TV signals are sent via satellites, so, yeah, there's some stuff to watch. But you don't know exactly where those feeds will "pop up" since they're not published.

 

[turbosat]

What kind of tv do you like to watch? Is fta for the family or just for you? There's not really many channels avail for free that you would find on DTV, its more of a hobby-tv viewing than replacement for subscription tv. There are tons of channels , and we think, many are worthwhile, entertaining and/or educational. Lots of sports , and raw news feeds. Some of it requires patience to find. It's very addictive too, so you've been warned. Once you start blind-scanning the satellites, you may not be able to stop, lol.

 

[BRETThedtke]

Hey thanks dashaund / wow is right i , nfo is helpful, i had a couple of the big dished systems in the early 90s ,but always going out of wack so went with dish or direct since . my wife is korean so the channels for her would be nice , as for me i watch about anything. what starter system for ku/cu would you would you suggest i look into ?
thanks again

 

[dashaund]

Where are you located? Sadoun has plenty of great packages...just take a look. Yeah, if you're into ethnic programming, Ku is definitely for you. As far as lots of HD choices, not much going on right now. Might want to hang on to that DirecTV package if you're into lot of that.

 

[BRETThedtke]

hey thanks for reply , i like sports any type of racing , different news feeds, wifes korean so those channels would please her, just about anything besides reruns. thanks brett
located in murphy nc , 2 hrs n of atlanta

 

[Mr Tony]

If you like sports there are a fair amount of HD feeds up there. Watch many hockey games in HD

 

[BRETThedtke]

THANKS I am leaning towards a TRAXIS 3500 SYSTEM , not to expensive and seams like a good unit. THERES A PLACE I CAN PICK IT UP IN N, ATLANTA, WHEN OUR HOUSE SELLS & we build in tn , i will look into a c band & hd system .
now its get the system and install it , :;;

 

[Anole]

dish size

If you are buying locally, that helps support the local economy, and gets you instant gratification.

One thing I don't believe was mentioned is the dish size.
If you are just getting going with Ku band, see about a 36" dish, not a 33 or 30 inch.
Shouldn't be much more money, and will be a big payback for the buck.

Probably no point going gung-ho on anything bigger for now.

PS: don't think there is too much Korean, but good luck.

 

[BRETThedtke]

ok whats the selection for a 36 in dish that you would recommend ? looking hard at traxis 3500 / invacom qph-31 / sg2100 / [winegard ds2076 ] ??
thanks to all who has helped,

 

[Tron]

Two of our sponsors, Sadoun and SatelliteAV, have good packages including the 36" dish, SG-2100 motor (or equivalent), and receiver.

The Winegard DS2076 is a 30" (not 36") dish, but has the best gain of its class if you want a 30" dish. A 36" dish does not cost much more, but will give you improved gain.

 

[dashaund]

A bigger dish can only help and never hurt, especially during rain, etc.... I run a 36" and get basically 90+ quality on every channel...I doubt you'll see that with a 30". And it isn't much more expensive, definitely worth it. Can't tell you much about the Traxis, but the SG2100 and QPH-031 I can tell you from experience, you can't go wrong. Those are solid pieces of equipment and easy to work with. Bigger dish = more gain = higher signal quality = easier time bringing in those weaker signals.

 

[BRETThedtke]

hey thanks for info on dish size ill check the 2 vendors out for the 36 ' one ,/ the 2 receivers i am cosidering are the traxis 3500 and fortec mercury 2 , do you have any comments on these 2 ? they seem pretty close .

 

[brentb636]

Probably we need to find someone with both receivers. I have 2 Merc's and think they are overall the best . Just wish I could take the best of every reciever that I know of, and combine them into one box.



Brent

 

[dashaund]

The only two I've used is the Fortec Lifetime Ultra and the Coolsat 5000. Picture quality on both are the same. I prefer the Coolsat because it's blind scan is much faster, and the last time I checked, is faster than anyone. I think either one will work for you. The only thing I know abou the Traxis is I've heard, and if someone wants to clarify me on this please do so, is the signal meter is screwy and doesn't give you an accurate reading. I haven't heard anything about the Mercury II.