Quick Review: Vantage 1100S HD FTA Receiver

stogie5150

Crazed Cajun Rebel
Original poster
Pub Member / Supporter
Jan 7, 2007
3,835
74
Slidell,LA
If you've been paying any attention at all lately the big thing going on in the FTA world is DVB-S2, how to scan it, and how to view it. Well, thanks to our friends in Germany, we now have a way. Enter the Vantage 1100s HD receiver.

First thing you wanna know, so I'll get it out of the way:

Yes, this box WILL blindscan DVB-S2, right out of the box. And it displays a beautiful picture, to boot.

Now the other things you need to know.

1) This box is a WORK IN PROGRESS. IT HAS ISSUES. Biggest one right now is the inability to display high bitrate DVB-S MPEG 2 HD. We believe it is a sound issue, as Brother Lak7 has determined if you scan the channel wih the audio off, it displays the video fine. It has no issues with DVB-S2, HD or SD. Like any receiver it has sometimes missed a channel, but they all have their problems, my beloved Coolsat 5000 misses some. Vantage tech support knows about the issue and has pledged to fix it. Time will tell.

2) Since this is a European box, it has NO North American satellites. There IS an editor though, and it does work. However it is very tedious to use, but you can make a go of it, it just takes time.

3) It supports disecq 1.1, and a motor. I don't use a motor with it, so I cannot tell you how it works. I have been told it works well.

4) It has its quirks. It does NOT separate the channels by satellite when you channel surf. You can press the SAT button, and get a list of channels on that satellite, but once you choose as channel, if you 'surf', it will surf right on into other satellites channels.

The disecq switching is a little slow. sometimes takes a second or two for a channel to come in.

Blind scan, while thorough, is slow. you can choose your step 1,-5 MHz, but the fastest scan took about 10 minutes on the average satellite. But realize, it is scanning DVB AND DVB-S2 at the same time. So that is forgivable, in my eyes. It also has a PVR function, but I have not, as of yet, tried it.


I will add more as I get experience. This has the potential to be a very nice box. I don't think you will get better for under 400.00.


Just a Note. This is MY opinion, and ONLY mine. The Vantage is NOT a beginner's box. Far from it. If you are new to FTA, this is NOT the box for you. I have been doing this for almost three years now, and I have used at least 10 different FTA boxes, and this box has me stumped in a LOT of ways. It is NOT your usual FTA box.


And now, by popular demand...the PICS!

Any questions, feel free to ask.
 

Attachments

  • Compare with a coolsat.jpg
    Compare with a coolsat.jpg
    69.9 KB · Views: 990
  • Side view coolsat on bottom.jpg
    Side view coolsat on bottom.jpg
    35.1 KB · Views: 830
  • Blind scan screen.jpg
    Blind scan screen.jpg
    108.4 KB · Views: 993
  • DVB-S.JPG
    DVB-S.JPG
    209.6 KB · Views: 1,007
  • DVB-S2.JPG
    DVB-S2.JPG
    225.5 KB · Views: 1,122
Nice pictures.
A lot of technical data about your program, in the Stream Information screen!


BTW, I've been talking to Stogie, and I know he's working hard to get this new receiver fully documented.
You can expect more info and more pictures as he proceeds. - :up
 
Stogie;
Thanks for the review!
Back panel connections? Does it have componet outputs? AC3 decoding?


Full complement of connections, Component, HDMI, SCART, USB, loop out, sat in, etc.

I dont know if it does AC3 onboard, I am using optical out audio so I don't know.

Pic, sorry for the cables, best I could do.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4350.JPG
    IMG_4350.JPG
    158.9 KB · Views: 762
Pics of the Motor setup menu, and disecq 1.1 option. I don't use either, so don't ask me if they work, sorry....
 

Attachments

  • motorsetup.JPG
    motorsetup.JPG
    144.5 KB · Views: 637
  • disecq 1.1.JPG
    disecq 1.1.JPG
    176.3 KB · Views: 659
Last edited:
Monday update, turns out I made one of the biggest mistakes one can make, blaming problems on the equipment....turns out my switching problems I had experienced before with the Vantage were due to a BAD COAX CONNECTOR, and I didn't notice it until I accidentally bumped my Diamond while it was hooked up....and it lost signal....right after that, a :eureka: hit me! The source of my problem! I replaced the end, BANG, switching problem solved, and picked up five quality points to boot. :D

The Vantage has been flawless since then. It has its own ways of doing things, but man, it has a GREAT picture, and watching those DVB-S2 feeds just pop up is SWEET!
 
Good stuff stogie! It's curious how those menus and options look exactly like the ones on my Icon, graphics, colors, menu layout, Diseqc 1.2 motor buttons too.
 
I bought a vantage 8000 hd receiver in june 08.
It is the one with dual tuners.This is a great receiver
except for the major problems with the highbitrates feeds.
The ones we all scan for.I have been in contact with vantage about since
june of 08.They have released more than 10 software upgrades since then
and none of them address the highbitrate issue.
 
Wildboys-
If you have a second receiver with Dolby pass through to use for sound, in the Vantage you can set the Audio PID to 8190 and video should be fine. Not the best solution, but not the worst either.
I only have the 1100, so it may not work for the 8000, but worth a try.
 
***

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)