Optibox Anaconda HD DVB-S2 Receiver

[SatelliteAV]

Does SA and CE listings have anything to do with those specifications/safety labels?

No. These standards approvals are not accepted in the US as they often are just a stamp and not involve rigorous testing and compliance.

Customs is currently cracking down on items without FCC approvals. We have observed the same vigor on the safety standards compliance. Heard about a shipment of 500 S-10 that were not allowed delivery last week. Ouch!!!

 

[Corrado]

For the money I would rather have 2 MicroHDs.

 

[PopcornNMore]

I'm thinking about purchasing the Optibox for the living room to replace my current Openbox S9 and also purchasing the MicroHD for the master bedroom. The MicroHD would work well in the bedroom due to it's size making it less noticable. I then would have the best of both worlds and could compare features, blind scanning, performance, video quality, etc.

 

[Mr Tony]

Because it IS. Not fair to compare something that IS available with something that ISN'T. Once the latter is available, let the comparisons begin.

I've got a Manhattan that does pretty much everything that machine does satellite wise. I dont care about youtube or internet on a receiver.
But I guess some people would rather spend money on something because its "new"

 

[eastof111]

I guess I am one of the people that like to try something new. If no one did, we wouldn't have new. Yes, it's pricey, but I like the accurate and fast blind scan. A few more that I like. I can set it to record MeTV for tomorrow and it will automatically turn on the receiver and hard drive and switch to MeTV even though it was last set on eScape. After it finishes recording, it will go back to eScapes and shut itself and hard drive off. I like that it can record from two tuners; I like that you can plug in a keyboard and use it's built in editor; I like that there is a third party windows editor; I like the 3 usb ports; I like the extra esata port; I like the fact it doesn't change the names after scanning the same sat over and over.

Most of all I really like the picture quality.

 

[cyberham]

I'm with you. This is a hobby. We do things because they are fun, not necessary. New is fun. I laughed about the "change names after scanning" point. You must have an S9/S10? I get so tired of renaming things like "Service 2" to "Azteca" or similar. My box is in my living room. I want youtube access so I can see it on my big screen, not on my small PC screen. I like Internet access; everything electronic should have that in 2012. I like a convenient external editor: if it's not on a network then plugging a keyboard into it is a good idea. I like the USB ports: not sure why, they seem like they could be useful. I like two tuners. I guess I like it. Though not going to buy it right now.

 

[melgarga]

Because it IS. Not fair to compare something that IS available with something that ISN'T. Once the latter is available, let the comparisons begin.

A valid point (availability) , but not a fair class comparison. The MicroHD will not, nor is designed to support IPTV. A more likely comparison for the Micro HD would be the Amiko HD8240 (Ali3606 based).

I'm not a fan of IPTV either. Like Tony, that's what I've got a computer for, but truthfully, I've never "tried it" so I cant pass judgment.

 

[rrob311]

The Amiko Alien is a similar box but I am waiting for the updated version to come out for comparison before I buy one of these new media style boxes.

 

[PopcornNMore]

I'm not buying this receiver for the YouTube and Internet, although they are a nice bonus. At first glance it caught my eye, because I like the look of the receiver. Reminds me of the older C-band receivers of the 80's. It is stylish and sexy. I don't mind spending more for a good looking receiver that also performs well. Plus from what I saw so far I really like the look of the onscreen graphics. Having the timers work is going to be wonderful and the blind scanning function seems to work just as well.

 

[Mr Tony]

I like that it can record from two tuners

no you can't. You can record two shows from the same transponder but unless its the same transponder you can't record more than one show

Again...other than the youtube or internet please show me something it supposedly does that current receivers can't

I guess thats why I use a Coolsat 5000 to blind scan and move my motor still after 7 years

 

[Jim S.]

The Amiko Alien is a similar box but I am waiting for the updated version to come out for comparison before I buy one of these new media style boxes.

The Alien sounds like an AZbox without the software bugs -- except it doesn't have blind scan or 4:2:2. The next version is supposed to have blind scan, but it would be best to wait til it's been tested thoroughly before you buy it.

The Optiboxes do have blind scan, but they don't have quite the software flexibility as the AZbox -- unless you load Enigma on them, BUT, I haven't seen any thorough reviews of their Enigma implementation yet. So once again, I'm awaiting further information before I buy.

The reason I'm considering something more expensive than the forthcoming MicroHD is because besides the clunky Openbox, I've got a slightly clunky media player I'd like to replace as well, and why not replace two boxes with one?

As to the whole certification issue, that's meaningless to me. I've got FCC-certified devices that constantly spew crap that I can pick up on my modest HF and VHF monitoring equipment. It may not be strong enough to affect other people, but for my money, it ought to be shielded enough to not effect me either, yet it isn't. And UL? Just because it isn't certified doesn't mean it's inherently unsafe, that's a logical fallacy -- and as someone who believes that a free people ought to be governed only by rational laws, I would take that argument to court in the extremely unlikely case that the need ever arose.

 

[rv1pop]

Re: certification... I am glad you are not in our fire district! Vol. FD. My insurance carrier has the ministry inspected about every 4 or 5 years..

 

[SatelliteAV]

As to the whole certification issue, that's meaningless to me.

May be meaningless to you, but it does mean something to legit US businesses who play by the rules and customs agents who check our products.

We were recently notified of an increased scrutiny on satellite equipment imported without proper verifications and certifications after a company had a complete shipment of Openbox receivers seized. Company's that are serious about doing business and supporting their customers need to meet the requirements for their distribution area. If they certify have certified CE for Europe, why not certify for North America?

Imagine the lovely world that we would live in if the 3rd world country factories didn't have to meet some interference standard or safety requirements! It isn't always about big brother or unreasonable rules invading and dictating your personal life, it is about not allowing cheap, untested and potentially dangerous pieces of crap into your home.

Single item packages also require harmonized codes and with that the documentation of FCC approval. The only way around not providing FCC part 15 compliance documentation is to lie..... Buyers need to be aware of the potential consequences of purchasing items without FCC compliance and safety certifications. Product confiscations are happening!

 

[pro96]

This just might be my pick over the MicroHD.

+1



Sent from my BNRV200 using Tapatalk

 

[Pixl]

I've had a Optibox Gekko connected to my system for a few weeks. One difference I noted from my Openbox and Manhattan is that I have not seen the picture stutter or freeze. Even on CHs like eScapes, NBC 103 Ku, and the Canadian services on 107 C. The specs list the memory at 256meg, but I opened up the receiver and found a pair of Hynx H5PS1G63EFR for an incredible 2 gigabytes of SD RAM.

 

[cyberham]

...If they certify have certified CE for Europe, why not certify for North America?...

Because it's expensive to certify a product for every market where a product will be sold. What a waste of money. A box that is certified safe for a European or Asian home is not safe in a North American home? Why must every administration require its own certification? Why can't one certification be valid for all homes? This might require administrations in different countries to actually negotiate and compromise a little. This would benefit the end user and business in general.

 

[SatelliteAV]

Unfortunately, it isn't up to you or I to make the rules for distribution. These are the real regulations and costs of doing business as we do not live in a one world market.

SatelliteGuy's members need to be aware of the realities of purchasing non compliant electronics including seizure and loss of their money and product. To simply say it doesn't matter to you is ignoring the fact that seizures happen everyday and sticking your head into the sand.

You need to know the real cost before you assume that it would be cost prohibitive to comply. It would cost a company less than $10k to verify and certify for US, Canada and Mexico radiation and safety. That is a drop in the bucket for production costs.

Anywho..., back to my original post...... Looking forward to the test results and hope that the product is certified if it will be in our market.

 

[PopcornNMore]

I must hand it to Brian for being a good sport and not knocking competitor's FTA satellite receivers before more can be learned about them and they can be reviewed by us satellite guys.

Also, although we tease about the MicroHD receiver "coming soon" I admire him for not placing a product out into the marketplace before the product can be fully developed and tested. This results in the end customer being happier knowing that he/she purchased the most advanced and bug free FTA receiver available and will not need to rely on firmware updates to get features that were advertised working correctly. I have purchased several products from Satellite A/V in the past and I will continue to do so due to the way they do business.

Everyone looks for something different in a FTA satellite receiver. I just happen to like a larger setup box with LED displays to indicate the channel name, channel number, position, current time, etc like the analog C-band receivers of the good ol days. This is what first turned me onto the Optibox Anaconda HD DVB-S2 receiver. This is the kind of receiver I prefer to display in the living room. Brian's MicroHD receiver on the other hand is perfect for today's flat screen TV"s which you might have handing on the wall and want a small compact receiver that will be less noticeable. This is why I would like to purchase the MicroHD receiver for the bedroom where space is limited next to my flat screen TV.

 

[melgarga]

I'd like to believe that no one in this hobby is so strapped they cant afford to have a "few" STBs of this price range to play with. I know HAM operators have several rigs both in and out of service that set you back some serious cash.
I too prefer an STB with indication and at least rudimentary (lost remote) controls, however I see the market does exist for the micro version of everything as well. It's the age old saga, we all want tailor made, in an off the rack world. Brian has made great strides to provide tailoring withing the material selection. Guess I'm just more of a ZootSuite kind of guy, wanting the built in indicators and controls.....lol, but I will purchase a MicroSD as well and if nothing else, it will serve me well as a second HD "set it and forget it" (thanks Ron P.) tuner/PVR when there are programming conflicts.

 

[SatelliteAV]

The specs list the memory at 256meg, but I opened up the receiver and found a pair of Hynx H5PS1G63EFR for an incredible 2 gigabytes of SD RAM.

It is all about the size.... That extra RAM works wonders!