Best FTA Linux Receiver for 250 max budget

AHireland2k11

Looking for High quality Linux receiver.
Will pay max 200 to 250 for it as selling Opticum TS 9600 prima.
Want good smooth fast interface with good features
Triple tuner
PVR features
EPG features
Teletext and Red button if possible to watch olympics on BBC Red button

mightybashful

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

Looking for High quality Linux receiver.
Will pay max 200 to 250 for it as selling Opticum TS 9600 prima.
Want good smooth fast interface with good features
Triple tuner
PVR features
EPG features
Teletext and Red button if possible to watch olympics on BBC Red button

And........you're back........

icdg

He's recieved permission from me to post this one thread provide he keeps to the parameters I've laid down and there's no discussion of anything illegal.

If other posters decide not to also keep to this, or decide to drag the thread off topic like the poster above has by commenting on the poster rather than the post, they will be the ones getting banned.Mightybashful can take a warning to start with

mightybashful

No problem and apologies . Can I suggest a zgemma?

foggy_lad

Amiko Alien triple tuner or any in the same price range are quite good but very few if any will give you the red button functionality but the bbc red button feeds can be tuned in free to air.

Addition of a HDD will give PVR functions and also the EPG functions can be got using different plug-ins. plug-ins work better or worse depending on which version of enigma2 you are using.

There are more expensive tuners in the €400 range which probably do a lot more functionally but out of the price range for many people.

STB.

Here, have a look at this. Its within your budget. The ET8500 with 2 satellite and one terrestrial tuner is €239. Miles better than either of the last 2.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B005BZOCBM/ref=twister_dp_update?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

givecredit

STB. wrote: »

Here, have a look at this. Its within your budget. The ET8500 with 2 satellite and one terrestrial tuner is €239. Miles better than either of the last 2.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B005BZOCBM/ref=twister_dp_update?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

I would concur with the above. This is definately the deal of the moment. Completely different class to the first two mentioned.

Kristopherus

STB. wrote: »

Here, have a look at this. Its within your budget. The ET8500 with 2 satellite and one terrestrial tuner is €239. Miles better than either of the last 2.

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B005BZOCBM/ref=twister_dp_update?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

"This seller does not deliver to Ireland"

Or to UK, or Parcel Motel either.:mad:

STB.

Kristopherus wrote: »

"This seller does not deliver to Ireland"

Or to UK, or Parcel Motel either.:mad:

Try it through the UK amazon. The prices are much the same for this version but cheaper for the 2 x dvb-s2 + dvb-t2 config. I posted a link in the foreign satellite forum (that enigma2 thread) yesterday

OR Try the 8500 with 2x dvb-s2 & 1x dvb-t2 is €239 on their website directly.

https://www.hm-sat-shop.de/hdtv-receiver-sat/xtrend/2431/xtrend-et-8500-hd-2x-dvb-s2-tuner-linux-full-hd-hbbtv-receiver-pvr-ready?c=52

Its €7 delivery to Ireland. The definitely delivery to Ireland if you use their website directly.

AHireland2k11

Seems good, but would anyone recommend technomate tm nano 3t?

STB.

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

Seems good, but would anyone recommend technomate tm nano 3t?

The Xtrend is a higher spec in terms of flash for less money.

Both are made in the same factory....

FRIENDO

STB. wrote:

The Xtrend is a higher spec in terms of flash for less money.

Hi STB, sorry if this is a silly question,

But what is "higher spec in terms of flash"

I am possibly looking for a new stb for combining Saorsat/Freesat/Freeview

Hopefully 7day epg and serial link if possible.

Thanks

AHireland2k11

STB. wrote: »

The Xtrend is a higher spec in terms of flash for less money.

Both are made in the same factory....

What is the real benefit of flash?

And also both made in same factory, are they sister companies or what?

STB.

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

What is the real benefit of flash?

And also both made in same factory, are they sister companies or what?

More space to load the images in memory. Just think why would I buy a 500ml bottle of coke when I can buy a 2ltr for the same price.

A lot of the boxes you see under the various brandnames originate from a production line in South Korea. These are referred to as OEM's.

Hubtech, Ceru/Marusys, DAGS, Arion, Kaon, Humax and DMT are just some of them

AHireland2k11

Can you add RAM/ memory?

swoofer

no

AHireland2k11

Does the xtrend et8500 have the same Linux features as other receivers?
Anywhere closer to home that I could buy in case of fault?

STB.

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

Does the xtrend et8500 have the same Linux features as other receivers?
Anywhere closer to home that I could buy in case of fault?

Linux.

The abilities of the box is applied through the images released. There are various flavours in the OE group. Xtrend is well supported.

I am guessing you have never used an E2 box before. Its a learning curve.

The technical spec of the et8500 is good so it will be faster than a lot of other e2 boxes.

If you want to record you will require a sata drive. The fitting of it is simple enough.

What box have you used prior to this ?

AHireland2k11

Opticum TS 9600 Prima

Zardoz

STB. wrote: »

OR Try the 8500 with 2x dvb-s2 & 1x dvb-t2 is €239 on their website directly.

https://www.hm-sat-shop.de/hdtv-receiver-sat/xtrend/2431/xtrend-et-8500-hd-2x-dvb-s2-tuner-linux-full-hd-hbbtv-receiver-pvr-ready?c=52

Its €7 delivery to Ireland. The definitely delivery to Ireland if you use their website directly.

The Xtrend ET10000 is also an option for the same price
Twice the amount of Ram,twice the flash memory and supports transcoding .
Basically the same spec as the Vu Duo 2 but has a better picture quality .
Very good receiver for the money .

https://www.hm-sat-shop.de/hdtv-receiver-sat/xtrend/2099/xtrend-et-10000-hd-2x-dvb-s2-/-1x-dvb-c/t2-hybrid-tuner-white-pvr-ready-linux-full-hd-hbbtv-receiver?c=52

You could always buy the Xtrend ET8500 here for ~185 euro and add a cheap usb tuner for 7 euro for Saorview if your budget is a bit tight .
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xtrend-ET8500-digital-multimedia-receiver/dp/B00SHQJNLG/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1469974331&sr=8-1&keywords=xtrend+et8500

There are alot of new 4k receivers due out and they look pretty decently priced compared to previous generations.
STB would know more about that than me ,@ STB ,any prospective bargains in 4k on the horizon ?

AHireland2k11

So basically that is a much better receiver for Same price. Open source Linux?PVR features epg features twin tuner saorview tuner

byte

I have the ET10000 box and find it fantastic.

AHireland2k11

Is there anyone in Ireland selling these?

AHireland2k11

Jut to have comeback idle there are any problems

STB.

Zardoz wrote: »

There are alot of new 4k receivers due out and they look pretty decently priced compared to previous generations.
STB would know more about that than me ,@ STB ,any prospective bargains in 4k on the horizon ?

They should be appearing in the e-shops over the next few weeks.

Gigablue, Kathrein, Xtrend, Vantage and other Korean brands.

At the moment the likes of the more limited Mutant digital ULTRA HD HD51 (and the AX version) both 1500 MHZ processors is available in 1xdvb-t 1xdvb-s2 for around €240.

Outside of E2, the latest Ferguson Ariva Combos (4k) are around the €180 and run kodi and android apps from the playstore too.

AHireland2k11

Well I am seriously considering the xtrend et8500 or et10000 but would prefer to purchase here or uk

ghogie91

OP I would also consider VU+ Duo...

Zardoz

ghogie91 wrote: »

OP I would also consider VU+ Duo...

Surely you mean the Duo 2 ?
The original Duo is a very old receiver now .

Xtrend Et10000 is basically the same spec as the Duo 2 ,cheaper and has a better picture .

AHireland2k11

where to buy in ireland?

GY A1

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

where to buy in ireland?

Cheaper buy online as mentioned above.
Ie from Germany.
Have ordered before no probs.
Or depending on uk exchange rate try world of sat

givecredit

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

where to buy in ireland?

Its circa €180 euro on amazon for the twin satellite version. You will not get it cheaper than that. Excellent aftersales service from amazon as well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Xtrend-ET8500-digital-multimedia-receiver/dp/B00SHQJNLG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471077255&sr=8-2&keywords=et8500

AHireland2k11

Think I might go for the et10000 as it has higher specs and good price?

STB.

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

Think I might go for the et10000 as it has higher specs and good price?

Its €239 for the 2 satellite tuner & 1 terrestrial tuner version of the 10000. Plus another €7 postage.

https://www.hm-sat-shop.de/hdtv-receiver-sat/xtrend/2099/xtrend-et-10000-hd-2x-dvb-s2-/-1x-dvb-c/t2-hybrid-tuner-white-pvr-ready-linux-full-hd-hbbtv-receiver?c=52

You say you used an Optima 9600 before. That is not an E2 receiver. So I hope you know what you are doing.

Zardoz

STB. wrote: »

They should be appearing in the e-shops over the next few weeks.

Gigablue, Kathrein, Xtrend, Vantage and other Korean brands.

At the moment the likes of the more limited Mutant digital ULTRA HD HD51 (and the AX version) both 1500 MHZ processors is available in 1xdvb-t 1xdvb-s2 for around €240.

Outside of E2, the latest Ferguson Ariva Combos (4k) are around the €180 and run kodi and android apps from the playstore too.

Thanks STB.

Is there any point in buying one of the 4k receivers if you dont have a 4k tv ?

Obviously the 4k receivers are better specced than alot of the 1080p receivers .
Alot of them seem to use an Arm cpu as opposed to Mips so this should give better video processing .
As we all know the Mips chipset doesnt really give a good picture .

So what Im wondering is ,what will SD look like on a 1080p set ,will it be better than SD on a comparable Mips box or an Sh4 box or will it be worse.

Gerry Wicklow

Many people say they struggle to see any difference between 4k and 1080 HD. Personally I think they need Specsavers. SD looks ok but it's all relative. When you switch from 4k to SD you really notice it but after a few minutes SD looks 'normal'.
The bigger snag is that there is very little FTA 4k yet. 28° only has a demo channel. Even on 13° and 19° you only have a shopping channel, a fashion channel and an extreme sports channel with very limited material. Plus some more demo channels. Even BBC's test channel is on 19°.

STB.

Zardoz wrote: »

Thanks STB.

Is there any point in buying one of the 4k receivers if you dont have a 4k tv ?

Obviously the 4k receivers are better specced than alot of the 1080p receivers .
Alot of them seem to use an Arm cpu as opposed to Mips so this should give better video processing .
As we all know the Mips chipset doesnt really give a good picture .

So what Im wondering is ,what will SD look like on a 1080p set ,will it be better than SD on a comparable Mips box or an Sh4 box or will it be worse.

Regardless of the downscaling or not depending on whether the box is connected to a UHD monitor, there would be little or no satellite content in the foreseeable future. Any real UHD content will be offered at a premium and would be subject to heavy encryption, that most likely rules out non proprietary boxes. Content providers wont make that mistake twice.

Yes the advantages are processor spec and the knock on effect of having native hardware that decodes X265 content which brings local media and the IPTV side like Netflix, Kodi etc.

AHireland2k11

STB. wrote: »

Its €239 for the 2 satellite tuner & 1 terrestrial tuner version of the 10000. Plus another €7 postage.

https://www.hm-sat-shop.de/hdtv-receiver-sat/xtrend/2099/xtrend-et-10000-hd-2x-dvb-s2-/-1x-dvb-c/t2-hybrid-tuner-white-pvr-ready-linux-full-hd-hbbtv-receiver?c=52

You say you used an Optima 9600 before. That is not an E2 receiver. So I hope you know what you are doing.

Just looking to change so I can get the full 7 day epg, tough with 9600 prima showing now and next. And also the record features

STB.

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

Just looking to change so I can get the full 7 day epg, tough with 9600 prima showing now and next. And also the record features

Yes well that box will do all that. You will have to buy a drive to fit yo the box if you dont have one in order to record..

You know you are moving from a closed menu box to an Enigma2 receiver that requires a little bit more technical interaction when setting up. If you havent used an E2 box before it can be daunting, Its not a plug n play box.

Sure you can always ask here if you need help.

Zardoz

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

Many people say they struggle to see any difference between 4k and 1080 HD. Personally I think they need Specsavers. SD looks ok but it's all relative. When you switch from 4k to SD you really notice it but after a few minutes SD looks 'normal'.
The bigger snag is that there is very little FTA 4k yet. 28° only has a demo channel. Even on 13° and 19° you only have a shopping channel, a fashion channel and an extreme sports channel with very limited material. Plus some more demo channels. Even BBC's test channel is on 19°.

Thanks but maybe I should have been more specific in my post .
I have no interest in buying a 4k tv at this stage or at any point in the next few years ,as you and STB correctly say there is very little content available .

Secondly upscaled SD and HD content on a 4k tv will look worse than on a 1080p set due to the upscaling noise introduced.

In the old days of 480i CRT tube TVs, people sat roughly 9 to 10 feet away from their TVs. There were good reasons for this (scan lines). Modern TVs offer significantly better resolution, so people can sit closer. Except...they don't. Most people still sit the same distance from their TVs as they did before.

To get the full benefit of 4k feeds on a 4k set you literally have to be sitting on top of it .
For a 40 inch set you need to be sitting less than 5 feet away to tell the difference from 1080p content or 7 feet for a 55 inch.

http://i.i.cbsi.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2013/01/27/resolution_chart.jpg

Then there's the issue that at such close distances Standard Definition tv will look absolute garbage on a 4k set .
1080p content wont look the best either ,upscaling introduces noise.

To get the best compromise you have to sit back further but then you aren't getting the benefit of 4k content ,of which there is hardly any available anyway .
So its all a bit of a cod really.

This is a good article on 4k and why its a cod
http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/why-ultra-hd-4k-tvs-are-still-stupid/

Regardless of the downscaling or not depending on whether the box is connected to a UHD monitor, there would be little or no satellite content in the foreseeable future. Any real UHD content will be offered at a premium and would be subject to heavy encryption, that most likely rules out non proprietary boxes. Content providers wont make that mistake twice.

Yes the advantages are processor spec and the knock on effect of having native hardware that decodes X265 content which brings local media and the IPTV side like Netflix, Kodi etc.

Thanks STB .
The extra processor speed and Arm based cpu are a benefit of that there is no doubt.

My main query though is would standard tv on a 4k receiver outputting at 1080i resolution on a non 4k set, be better than standard definition on a 1080i Mips based receiver outputting at 1080i on the same set.

The main issue with Enigma 2 receivers is that the vast majority of them use the Broadcom/Mips chipset and the picture quality produced by them is poor .
Its the achilles heel of the receivers.
I've yet to find a Mips based receiver that can produce an image as clear as on an Sh4 based receiver and closed course receivers that use the Ali chipset.
The Arm chipset is better at rendering graphics than the Mips chipset ,hence my initial query.

STB.

The other thing about ARM architecture is that a lot of the plugins are written for MIPS.....

Try finding an emulator thats not Oscam for ARM based boxes.

Johnboy1951

If buying a new STB one of the first functions I will be looking for is that it outputs the selected channel on the LAN.
I thought this an interesting device on first read
http://www.vuplus.com/sub/sub0113.php

Gerry Wicklow

Johnboy1951 wrote: »

If buying a new STB one of the first functions I will be looking for is that it outputs the selected channel on the LAN.
I thought this an interesting device on first read
http://www.vuplus.com/sub/sub0113.php

Pretty much any Enigma box does that by default as well as accessing any recordings. You also have the ability to control the box remotely, view the EPG, set timers etc.
EDIT: If it's a twin tuner model, you can watch one thing in one room while someone else watches something else on the box.
Sky Q me @rs*, enigma has been doing all that for years

AHireland2k11

Gerry Wicklow wrote: »

Pretty much any Enigma box does that by default as well as accessing any recordings. You also have the ability to control the box remotely, view the EPG, set timers etc.
EDIT: If it's a twin tuner model, you can watch one thing in one room while someone else watches something else on the box.
Sky Q me @rs*, enigma has been doing all that for years

can you go into more detail?

jspuds

I see the Wetek Play 2 has been announced, am tempted to give it a try
https://wetek.com/product/wetek-play2?utm_source=WeTek+Newsletter&utm_campaign=2775ba968b-WeTek_Play_2_Pre_order_Subscribers_18-08-2016&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d6f9b36fbd-2775ba968b-313142525&mc_cid=2775ba968b&mc_eid=7f164d0b65

AHireland2k11

Could I get the twin tuner version of the et8500 or et10000 and add a cheap saorview tuner? Where do I buy this tuner? Is it usb or what? Trying to cut costsu

GY A1

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

Could I get the twin tuner version of the et8500 or et10000 and add a cheap saorview tuner? Where do I buy this tuner? Is it usb or what? Trying to cut costsu

http://m.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_188372.html?utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=linkshare&siteID=TnL5HPStwNw-s.BU5rkh_tTuJEmFg92L.w

AHireland2k11

GY A1 wrote: »

http://m.gearbest.com/tv-box-mini-pc/pp_188372.html?utm_source=linkshare&utm_medium=linkshare&utm_campaign=linkshare&siteID=TnL5HPStwNw-s.BU5rkh_tTuJEmFg92L.w

Do you simply plug this into the receiver and it works?

AHireland2k11

Will a USB tuner work by simply plugging into the receiver?

lertsnim

You should save yourself the hassle and get the xtrend with the terrestrial tuner built in. I've found usb tuners to be incredibly flakey in the past on other receivers

givecredit

AHireland2k11 wrote: »

Will a USB tuner work by simply plugging into the receiver?

No. After connecting USB, You press menu, Plugins and green button. Wait for Plugins menu to appear, Go to drivers section and download the RTL2832U driver. When done reboot your receiver.

That's it.

AHireland2k11

lertsnim wrote: »

You should save yourself the hassle and get the xtrend with the terrestrial tuner built in. I've found usb tuners to be incredibly flakey in the past on other receivers

Inshould save myself the money and get the usb tuner