Posts by ekkostar

  • the collapse of prismcube

    The Prismcube Ruby is a 1st generation XBMC4STB device. I think if you buy into anything 1st generation that is taking things wholesale into another direction you have to be patient. Amiko A3 is another device.


    If you understand the scope of what a converged XBMC device offers you can see the sense of the direction. Although it may not be the 'mature' product some may be seeking now there is still immense potential.


    For the most part in the EU it is known as the AB-IP Prismcube. The Jet will have more horsepower. AB-IP have their own images and BH continue to support it. Other teams such as Pli (or Pli spin off images) have not really been involved.

  • Technomate TM-Nano 2 Super

    Quote from ekkostar

    The £199 Nano 2 Super is however a pretty decent machine. To be quite honest if Technomate can get that price down by another £10-£20 it could quite possibly commercially wipeout the VU Solo SE in that particular sector.


    Lo and behold....the price appears to be now down to £179

  • EVO Xfinity Android + XBMC DVB-S/S2 Digital Satellite Receiver

    Quote from bigall123

    Hello there. Eny 1 seen or got 1 of these android sat boxes. If so what do you think of it. Have a look.


    I was forwarded various sample XBMC Android/DVB-S2 boxes to play around with last year. They were ok and showed promise. The new processors have further improved things.


    XBMC is massive and those that tap into to it hardly ever look back. The GUI of these combo boxes is very nice and purposeful as well. They also seem remarkably cheap to produce so price-wise they can be very competitive.


    However, it may perhaps be better to wait for the Prismcube Jet & Plug to come along. Prismcube is fully supported by Marusys and the Blackhole team as well as AB-Com.

  • new vu

    Quote from toppo

    hi,sold my duo and looking at the solo 2 and the duo 2,what would the best one to buy,i need one with 2 tuners and a good spec,thanks


    The Duo2 has plug-in tuners meaning can accommodate C/T/T2 as well as DVB-S2 tuners

  • what box do you recomend


    The Duo is DVB-S2 only so no C tuner. That's a no go for you anyway and TBH it's a bit long in the tooth now.


    Secondly, irrespective of the experience you've had with your DM800 clone I would doubt many on here would recommend or support you on a clone.


    However if you are looking for a receiver in the clone £££ budget category of £100-£150. There are some genuine makes to look at that can combo DVB-S2 and C tuners.

  • help vu soloSE vu solo2


    Guess it could be used as an expensive bookend perhaps lol ?


    The market has moved on considerably from when the original form factor of the Solo came out. Sticking a new CPU inside was never really going to be enough in this current market.


    No internal HDD and NAS with hampered network speed is not the most sensible future proofed compromise. Designers got that one horribly wrong. Officially its a single tuner.


    Pricewise it is too dear. Lots of ramblings about that one going on. Interestingly only a mere week after launch a number of 'or best offers' have started to appear on you know where.


    I suspect the smart VU money may pass on this one and head more upstream....or you could perhaps wait to see what the next few months brings....

  • help vu soloSE vu solo2

    The Solo SE has no internal HDD, officially a single tuner and has been somewhat limited by a 10/100 LAN port instead of a gigabit. It's quirky and expensive for what it is and it has been priced in no mans land.


    Suffice to say, unfortunately on this occasion VU don't seem to have got it quite 'right' with this model.


    Ultimately it is what it is. I would imagine and suspect a lot of people interested in a VU machine may perhaps give it a miss and head towards the Solo 2 instead.

  • Future Proofing

    Quote from taybz

    I guess my question is ''what box is best suited to to our needs and is somewhat furutre proofing?'' i know nothing is forever, but it would be nice to spend money the once and enhance what you have.


    Satellite is a cutting edge moving field, so the hope of one box fits all will always be a little forlorn. Receivers are also a very personal choice so you cannot really advise people what to buy.


    If you're an enthusiast you will normally want to buy the very best you can. This is and always has been true.


    If you simply want to watch TV on the cheap then buy the cheapest you can. Personally I'm not an advocate of cheap and nasty.


    If you want to start enjoying the hobby then a low end linux box can be a good introduction. In truth there is nothing low end with many linux boxes sat or around the £100 mark. They have ample ability and that is seemingly where the 'value' is at the moment.


    Either way there are plenty of receivers to suit most needs and choose from.


    I wouldn't touch the receivers sat in no mans land right now though. Best to stay clear.


    There's a lot gong on behind the scenes in the satellite field at the moment so perhaps it might be a wiser thing to wait until the end of the year......

  • Technomate TM-Nano 2 Super

    If you're in Spain then a locally sourced VU machine will come with a standard adaptor and an EU figure 8 mains cable. This would plug into the adaptor anyway.


    If you were considering a Solo SE at £189 I guess you've worked out it really is a bit too expensive for what it is. Quite a few people have raised eyebrows at that price right now.


    Technomate do make some good machines but they have on occasion had the chequered history of throwing in the odd lemon. The £199 Nano 2 Super is however a pretty decent machine. To be quite honest if Technomate can get that price down by another £10-£20 it could quite possibly commercially wipeout the VU Solo SE in that particular sector.


    If you have had good experience of Technomates in the past and you like the support and images the Nano 2 Super offers than at £199 it is a well specced receiver. For £10 more than the SoloSE you bag 1.3GhzCPU, twin tuners, internal HDD, sensitive tuners etc etc

  • Technomate TM-Nano 2 Super

    If you're looking at the VU range then try stretch to a Solo2 if you want to start seeing the best of them. The SE seems to be over priced in no mans land and has it's shortcomings.


    The Nano 2 Super is a decent enough receiver and very fast. Twin tuners, internal HDD and under £200 it's an attractive proposition for many. It's in some way compared to the Solo2. It's got no VFD but then nor has the SE. Certainly the TM gives far more bang for your buck over the SE if that's how you want to go right now.


    If you're not fussed and in no hurry, then would perhaps hang on until later this year.

  • VU+ Products


    The new VU+ Solo SE will be publicly revealed at the Anga Com this year. This is the new base 'entry' model in the VU+ range and is powered by a 1.3Ghz Broadcom processor.


    The Solo SE is essentially an entry machine based on a paired down Solo2. The Solo SE will have a further degree of flexibility over the Solo 2 but not in it's base form.


    It's a pretty neat box. In some ways the SE overlaps the Solo2 with additional flexibility but as I say this will not be in it's base form.


    The Solo, Duo, Ultimo & Uno are no longer in production. There will be no more planned future production of these older machines. The support however is not going anywhere and will obviously continue.


    The range of VU+ products has been rationalised and will now be on 3 levels - the base level Solo SE, for the mid-range the Solo 2 and for the top end the Duo2.


    Regards


    ES

  • Other options

    Venton receivers seem to have disappeared for the moment. Always best to get a well supported receiver in anycase. The Duo is probably getting a bit long in the tooth now. Perhaps better to put the money towards a better box.

  • vu+ duo vs vu+ duo2

    The original Duo was good in it's day but no denying it is an ageing machine now. Limitation of Flash memory with newer images etc etc means it's perhaps not the most forward looking choice.


    Pricewise the market now offers a variety of machines and it is made all the more muddier with VU clones cropping up everywhere. The Solo2 is a good choice/value but even here Solo2 clones have made an indent and some are hard pushed to tell the difference. It's all become rather muddied.


    I would guess that a newly positioned VU machine may be on the way....

  • thinking of buying a prism cube

    Yes, wh()me? is correct. 1st and 2nd Gen boxes do tend to be buggy. It's not entirely due to the hardware (although that eventually catches up) but a lot rides on the software side as development teams get their heads around them. The same boxes do eventually become more stable and perform better with more evolved images.


    The Blackhole team are on board and are up and running. I imagine other image developers require a little more time to get their heads around it.


    The Prismcube is actually a twin satellite media center. It's an all in one and represents a convergence in STB technology. The ARM structure it runs on is relatively cheap and likely to get cheaper. It would be a bold person to say XBMC4STB is not good...


    Obviously if you are buying one in the expectation that it will immediately compare to something like a Duo2 then the disappointment will lie in your expectations. However, when you use it and start tapping into the vast XBMC repositories you can see this thing is a pretty impressive and a very clever torch bearing product.


    As far as further Prismcubes, it's not really for me to say at this moment and at what stage other than Marusys are committed to XBMC4STB and there will be others.