New HD System suggestions

FatController

I am looking for my first satellite system and would really appreciate some guidance, so any advice would be much appreciated. I am looking for an HD system that has the facility to record, ideally with twin turner so can record and watch different channels. I live in Devon, and the dish will have a clear sight South and to the East.
I have read lots of posts, some of which aren’t the most recent, and there may newer products that might now be better hence the list of questions!

If I go for a motorised 90cm/1m dish like a Gibertini 1m and 0.1db Titanium LNB – is that a good combination? (I appreciate the planning implications)

The receiver which looks to have a number of good features, without being too tricky to set-up I thought the Technomate TM6800 HD Combo plus. Of all the manufacturers on the forum the Technomate seems to attract the most posts/replies hence why I think there must be a lot of fans out there! I have seen some posts that weren’t very complementary regarding blind search and functions against the standard 6800 – any current owners views? How easy is it to set-up and in normal use?

If I only have a coax cable currently installed between the sitting room and the loft can I still control the motor if, I go for say a TM-2300 Diseqc motor? (I intend mounting the dish on the East facing wall, not chimney!).

Initially, I am looking to watch FTA channels and those HD ones where available. When I have gained more knowledge I would like to look further afield for other channels/satellites so my son can watch more sport in Europe, as he loves to watch football. I know there are lots of satellites to pick up, but I don’t want to set my expectations too high!

thecaretaker

Welcome to the forums. These are just my views, others may feel differently. But I've learnt a lot the hard way in this hobby and this is what I have found from my experiences.

With regards to the dish, the larger the dish, the better and as for LNB's, there are a number that will do the job well. Read the forums and buy well known makes (Sharp, Inverto, Technomate etc). You will have a few different options when it comes to motorising your dish. A DiSEqC motor is by far the simplest to set up and use but they do have limitations on dish size. There is a thread on this forum which shows you which makes are actually made by a generic manufacturer and which are the better ones. If you go for a large heavy steel dish, you might want to look at an actuator system (to which I have no knowledge of).

With regards to a receiver, a lot depends on what you want from it. I've owned 2 Technomate 6900 (Super and original) and they were OK. But I found they both had issues after a while which made me suspect the build quality of these boxes and finally made me look at others.

If you want to record, you may want a box that has an in-built (changeable by user) hard drive rather than a USB external drive. USB drives can be temperamental dependant upon make.

There are a number of budget HD receivers. The Fortec Star Passion HD is one of the cheaper starter boxes. For a budget box, picture quality isn't bad and it does what it says it will, but often slowly. My first box is still going strong. But the Passion HD might not serve your purposes later on as your knowledge grows.

You might want to look at a Linux based box if you like to have add-ons, plug-ins and third party software in the future. The Cuberevo (or IPBox 9000) is a super box with the best upscaled picture I've seen on any box. It won't break the bank like a Dreambox. Top build quality.

Yes, a single cable will control a motor and provide the signal if you use a DiSEqC compatible motor.

The hardest part will be setting the dish up. Unless you have experience of setting up a motorised system, you will need a lot of time and patience to get it right. Seeing the instructions written down is scary in the least. But once you understand what to do in practise, it really isn't that bad. I managed it, eventually with the help of the good folk on these forums.

That's my 2 penny worth. I'm sure others will agree and disagree. I never stop learning and you'll be up and down the ladder more than you've had hot dinners lol. But it is a great hobby and lots of fun m8

Robbo

Hi,
they don't do a TM6800 combo plus, the 6900 is the combo model.

I have a non super TM6800HD, not had any prolems with it all, it doesn't have blind scan, but I wouldn't use it if it did anyway. Technomate don't do any twin tuner models as far as I know. The twin tuner receivers tend to be more expensive.

I'm not too sure about the build quality of the TMs these days, I have bought loads of them, but one I got recently was dead and had to go back, Clarke-Tech are an extremely close alternative and almost identical in most respects.

Depends on what coax you have? if it is not satellite double screened, you will need to change it.

Your dish, motor, and LNB choice are fine.


I have had a play with a couple of AZbox receivers recently, but more expensive than the Technomates, but allow twin tuners and a large internal HDD to be fitted. Pretty easy to setup for FTA too, no need to read the manual.LOL

timo_w2s

I have two original TM6900s (combo non super) and a TM1500 and they are all still going strong. Great boxes. The PVR functions are pretty basic on the 6900 but it does the job for me and I use it quite a bit. I find Freecom 2.5" drives work the best.

FatController

Caretaker - thanks for your all your comments
Dish - I don't really want to go for a steel one due to weight and durability.
Control - good to hear I can just use a single co-ax as I didn't want to run a new cable.
Dish setup - this doesn't worry me because I can see there are lots of people here who offer lots of guidance.
Receiver - because of the cost (largest part of the spend to the system I want to get it right), this seems to be the main deciding point. I haven't heard of the Cuberevo, the main point is build quality and ease of use. The 6900 fits the later, but not the former from your experience. I will continue to look.
Thanks, Martin

FatController

Hi Robbo,
Sorry I was originally researching the 6900, but then thought I could save money getting the 6800 as I don't need the terrestrial tuner as my TV already has that & have a DVD recorder for usual digial channels. The 6900 provides better functions so really meant to quote that one
I see from your profile you are a Technomate ambassador, but I wonder if the build remains as high these days. I haven't heard of the AZbox, so will do some research to find out more. While I am looking for something easy to set-up initially, I will be advancing to non FTV stuff so don't want to limit my options. If the AZbox has the internal drive that means I don't need lots of (more)cables and twin tuner it's an option worth considering.
* Good to hear the dish etc are a good choice.

* The coax was specially installed while we built the house so it is the correct spec for satellite, so should be covered there.
Getting closer to the answer, but as I mentioned above it looks like the receiver is the key component!!
Many thanks, Martin

timo_w2s

Just a thought, but if you only have one coax cable you won't be able to get the most out of a twin sat tuner box as that will need two feeds, so two cables from the dish.

You could get a stacker/destacker and squeeze the signals from two feeds down one cable but I don't have any experience with those and I don't know how/if they work with a motor. I've heard they are expensive and prone to signal problems so it might be better just to run a second cable.

FatController

Hi Timo - point noted and I think I'll keep it simple to start with and then look solve the second feed when I start to get more ambious. It is possible to get a second feed but will take a little more effort...!
Cheers for the thoughts, Martin.

timo_w2s

Don't forget to come back here and let us know how you get on when you get your system up.

FatController

Just another thought - my son is made keen on football, so it will be good to be able to tune into European matches. I was speaking to a work colleague who said you can pick up European matches on Turkish satellites, which will solve my first challenge.

However, is it possible to pick up Premiership Matches via an alternative source or is the only option to subscribe to Sky? I did try looking through the various forums but couldn't find an obvious thread! If there is some method I just wanted to make sure I got the right receiver from the start
Thanks once again, Martin.

Nigbo

Technomate 6900 super HD combo plus is a very good unit. I bought one with a vbox to drive my 80cm mesh dish (replacing an older echostar 3600 via ip unit). I am extremely pleased with the technos performance. marry this with a diablo cam (new one coming out soon) and / or patch your techno & you won't go far wrong in what you are looking to watch. Satdudez is a good forum for most info

FatController

Hi Nigbo, thx for the reply and agree Satdudez is a good forum too. The only reason I realed out the TM 6900 was becuase it on has the one tuner. This limits what I can do and hence why I have started to look at other options.

I am current looking at the Icecrypt s4000 as you get alot for you money and seems to have good support. I have heard they are quick and give good picturte and sound quality.

Anyone out there got one of these?
Many thanks
FC

peapod1

Will the new Technomate triple tuner TM7100HD meet the brief?
http://www.technomate.com/newsreviews.php

I'm waiting for the new Echostar HDX-400 though in the hope that it gets released in the UK. Anyone know if it is coming?