Which cheap linux DVB-S box?

There are 30 replies in this Thread which was already clicked 3,900 times. The last Post () by mrrawuk.

    Hi all, most of the requests/recommendations here are for higher-end boxes so here's a request for a cheap box.


    My past boxes have been: Fortec Star HD, then Openbox X3. The Fortec could record in full HD ;^)


    I currently run 2 dishes on Astra 28.8 and 19.2 with a DiSEqC switch near the dishes. I use the 19.2 for free F1 when BBC don't have it live that week.


    My X3 has just gone bad and I suspect the LNB voltage but while I fix this I started looking at Linux boxes.


    My work background is 25 years C/C++ programming and 30 years unix/linux/android so I would like to fiddle with the box if possible - the openbox was very much closed. And I can use a soldering iron too, and read schematics.


    Must-have Requirements List
    a) Cheap!


    b) Blind scan/channel update actually works.
    c) Easy maintenance of favourite list.
    d) Easy channel editing interface.
    e) Easy to use remote control for the family (and non-techhy wife)
    f) Front-panel access to the menu and ability to change channels because my family always lose the remote on a regular basis. ;^(


    g) Decent and solid Full HD picture (artefacts I don't like are: freezing, glitches or blocky picture, "ghost" balls in snooker, "snooker table" grass in Rugby. )
    h) HDMI output.


    i) HD recording (internal or external HDD don't mind) - the Fortec Star could do this.


    If your suggested box doesn't do all of the above then I won't be buying it...


    Nice to have but not essential would be:
    dual tuner as terrestrial is always a fallback.
    Ethernet. USB front and back.
    Cross-compiler environment so I can build native applications.
    Schematics and layout as a pdf.
    Root login, and remount /usr and / as RW to load on my own extras while keeping the main firmware.



    Also I have been looking at the two firmware types (which some of the boxes run alternately) Spark, and Enigma2 - what are the main differences in a nutshell and are there any good FAQ's on Spark? (I found some on Enigma2)
    Some of my main gripes with my previous boxes has been the arcane user interface when setting up channel lists and favourites etc, so a nice one would make a pleasant change.

    Edited once, last by master G: editing first post ().

    Hi mate,
    firstly what is your budget? If i was you i'll stay away from spark receivers as i have had 2 awful experience with them.


    IF your budget is £100-£130 i'll go for either one of these:


    Wetek play good budget box running android Its user friendly so dont worry about the family learning how to use it. from your Requirements it matches all of them expect for blind scan (I think i dont have the box),you can mount an external hard drive not internal. im not sure about Mounting usr and that stuff as i don't really look at those.


    Vu+ Zero / TM-Nano-SE: both these receivers are good budget enigma2 receivers and meets all the requirement except for blind scan. I wouldn't say it's wifey friendly as it took my wife abit of time to get used to it but the family can get used to it.


    Finally Miraclebox Premium Mini+: its similar to the vu+ zero as in the requirement aspect but the thing i like over the Nano se and vu zero is the additional VFD and buttons on the reciever. Its also a little bit more than the other enigma2 receiver



    If you want my opinion i'll go for the Wetek its a great little box with development. It can run android, Openelec, KODi, Cyanogenmod and soon enigma2.

    • Official Post

    Another option is Golden Interstar XPEED LX2 HD Enigma 2 Linux PVR (2x DVB-S/S2) Twin Tuner Satellite Receiver.. Has blind scan function, can be as wife friendly as possible with the openvix image..


    Spark firmware is closed source like your past boxes, so probably something you want to avoid..

    The Wetek has no buttons (that I can see) on the front panel so that's out. Nor does the VU+ Zero (I just downloaded the user guide). So I am editing my post to make sure the requirements are easier to understand...

    Edited 3 times, last by master G: edit first post of the thread ().

    The golden interstar xspeed lx1 is about the cheapest enigma2 linux receiver from our sponsor at the moment.
    http://www.world-of-satellite.…olden-Interstar-Xpeed-LX1
    Its virtually the same as the lx2 only a single tuner model.
    Although there are no buttons on the front panel, they are located just behind it (you push the panel in and it drops down)
    The front usb , ci slot and card reader are located behind this panel also. (out of sight)
    The lx 2 used to come configured as a combo receiver also (one dvb-s/s2 and one dvb-c/t/t2 tuner) if terrestrial is a must.
    I haven't seen it in a while on our sponsors site though but a pm to them will answer this for you.


    Quote

    Schematics and layout as a pdf.


    You'll probably only get these from the receiver manufacturer

    My question is why Cheap ? in terms of value for money you can buy original vu duo for half the price of when it was released ! Now that's cheap for what your getting !


    Look second hand for a VU solo aswell they're available :40_002:

    78cm dish on tm2300 metal gear motor + 1m Orb with tm2300 + 1.8m Channel Master on H-H floor mount + 80cm ISS with TM2300 AND Inverto Black LNB,inverto Unicable QUDL 42 LNB,- Global invacom Dscc LNB,- Triax KA LNB, - Yuri LNBF C Band YLF-CDP16C

    Quote from codar

    Although there are no buttons on the front panel, they are located just behind it


    THis is also acceptable - just what the X3 has. However I just downloaded the user manual for the xpeed - good job I can read German eh - and it's only vol +/-, no channel change, so again close, but no ceegar.


    The Zgemma almost looked OK but no channel change buttons. This doesn't bode well for those lost remote days...



    Quote from rikjaard-real

    My question is why Cheap ?


    Because I'm as tight as a gnat's chuff? I like to get best bang for my buck on any purchase which leaves money left over for other stuff....


    However as no-one seems to be making a cheap box with 4/5 front panel buttons looks like I'll be keeping my money and fixing the X3.

    Edited once, last by a_q: add a correction ().

    We'd strongly advise to steer clear from receivers like Zgemma that falsely claim support from teams that do not actually have support from them.


    Zgemma and their sellers falsely claim OpenViX support even though they know there is no such thing.


    If you want a recent receiver with good official support and front buttons, the cheapest I can think of right now is the Miraclebox Mini+ http://www.world-of-satellite.…-Mini-Plus-HD-1x-dvb-s-s2

    world-of-satellite-banner.gif
    Official Sponsor of the OpenViX Team


    Official Distributor of Formuler, Edision, GiGaBlue, Mut@nt Technomate, VU+, and many more...


    Secure online ordering - Paypal and all major cards accepted - Order online 7 days a week!


    PRICE MATCH PROMISE - WE'LL TRY TO MATCH ANY UK PRICE*


    *SEEN ANY PRODUCT CHEAPER? CONTACT US AND WE’LL TRY TO MATCH LIKE FOR LIKE!

    www.world-of-satellite.co.uk

    Quote from a_q

    THis is also acceptable - just what the X3 has. However I just downloaded the user manual for the xpeed - good job I can read German eh - and it's only vol +/-, no channel change, so again close, but no ceegar.


    However as no-one seems to be making a cheap box with 4/5 front panel buttons looks like I'll be keeping my money and fixing the X3.


    The Amiko Alien 1 and 2 have front panel buttons
    Menu,Ok,Vol+,Vol-,Ch+,Ch-


    They both satisfy your other criteria .


    Load Hyperion 4.5 Enigma 2 image on them and they are a really solid box and they have an excellent sd picture quality .


    I think the Nbox5800 has a similar front panel but they have to be modded to run Enigma 2


    He wants to play around with the firmware and as spark is closed source and enigma2 is a hacked port for amiko it really wouldn't benefit him as a developer

    The hobby has never ever been cheaper in terms of boxes friend ive been in this hobby longer i think than most and when i started drake and monterray were over 1k each so today its bargain time and although i own many boxes im very tempted by the sponsors latest offers

    Helping others is always a better feeling than helping yourself

    While Spark is closed source, enigma2 for the Amiko Alien has a development environment which is quite easy to set up - especially if you have 25 years of experience. I recently setup a build environment for my Alien 2 triple tuner. While it is not nearly as well supported as mips based receivers, there is a lot of support out there if you want to "tinker" with the box. The dual sat tuner comes in handy when wanting to watch/record/stream multiple things at a time. And the third tuner is for cable/terrestrial reception. The other thing I like about the box is I can boot from an NFS server so I can quickly and easily switch between different images, and makes it easy when doing development on a linux server. This is also helpful for the "wife-friendly" aspect - the default boot is setup to be easy to use and I can switch to a testing environment in a few minutes...


    Look for sh4 duckbox development...

    Edited once, last by joeuser ().

    Thanks for the replies all. I have spent a few minutes reading an interesting thread on the Miraclebox, but on the Topfield/toppy forum. Some useful insights there. It looks to be a contender despite some "issues". Also found a used one for £90 on the flea... I'll take a look at the Aliens next.


    Thanks for the heads up about Spark being a closed source environment - not of much interest then.


    - - - Updated - - -


    What about the SAB Unix Triple Tuner HD S903? Anyone have an opinion?

    The main thing to look at apart from features which you want is support and guys here have mentioned many well supported boxes but what you need to consider is will the box you buy be supported in the long term now we do know VU will and of course DREAMBOX but if you look at the forum sponsor the boxes they supply ARE ALL SUPPORTED which means plenty of firmware in the future what im saying is every year on the net we see lots of boxes advertised that look good and even do the job to a extent and are very cheap but after a few years support runs out for them while on the sponsors site ALL BOXES SOLD ARE SUPPORTED this is a massive plus when deciding a box
    Support comes in the way of the teams supplying new images and plugins been made available if a box is suddenly poorly supported then you will soon find you are dissatisfied with your box so give consideration to support

    Helping others is always a better feeling than helping yourself

    The SAB is essentially an Alien 2 triple, or Golden Media triple. I don't have direct experience with them, so not sure about quality or manufacture support.


    While Spark is closed source, it still runs on linux and you have root access to the box, so it not like a completely locked system.


    Another downside to the sh4 boxes is the lack of plugin support. Most plugins are written for mips and many do not work on sh4 boxes. So you may want to think about which plugins (if any...) you want and see if they are sh4 compatible. Of course most plugins are python, so sometimes it just takes getting the right python modules installed to get them working...

    Quote from THE FUGITIVE

    to consider is will the box you buy be supported in the long term


    Fair point - so the equation seems to be - pay double for a well-supported box (up front), versus pay once for a poorly supported box, and if things go wrong, buy another one a few years later.


    But presumably by then the cheaper one will be either Moore cheaper (geddit!) or have Moore functionality.


    Moore's law innit?


    Another aspect of support is whether the model you have invested in is still supported, Fortec dropped off support on the Passion which was irritating, and concentrated on the newer models. When there is no money in it then support tends to drop off.

    If your looking for long term support, you have to consider the established brands.
    You will pay more for these but in my opinion, is an investment well justified.
    Vu still support the duo which was first released in 2010.
    A new model from a well established brand will pay dividends in the long term (in regard to support) compaired to a new arrival with a relative initial small consumer base (unless it is ground breaking and the only one that comes to mind in recent times is the wetek but it doesn't fufill your criteria)
    Have a look in the nightly builds section on the navbar to see which brands are supported by which image teams and you'll see the vu range are widely supported.
    (hd freaks, hdmu, openatv, openpli, openvix, openvuplus, satdreamgr, blackhole etc)

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